Chaos
by Witch of Swords
Summary: After a tragic trap, Kagome returns to the present with a new family, only to walk into another trap. Will Kagome's new allies help her, or will she be cursed to suffer for eternity? WARNINGS: Violence, Gore, Strong Language, Lemon
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, YuYu Hakusho (As much as I'd love to) or any of the anime/manga characters.

Warnings: Violence and Strong Language

Prologue

Kagome awoke in a dark room, the scents of death and blood hitting her senses like a knife to the stomach. She turned on her bruised side and let her stomach contents, of which little remained, out on the stone floor.

"Something the matter, _Kagome_?" a dark voice asked on the other side of the room.

"I swear to any god that's listening that I'll kill you when I get out of here."

"Ah, but how will you do that, I wonder? Let's take a look at the current events. You're not back with your little friends on the other side of the well, as they were foolish enough to fall into my trap. I have your beloved's precious weapon, which you couldn't use anyway. Your miko powers are currently not working. And you're chained to the floor of a dungeon where nobody will be looking for you. So tell me, what's the escape plan?"

Dark, blood-red eyes glared through the darkness at where the voice was, and a small, satisfactory smile formed on her lips.

"Oh, I'll show you, you bastard!"

She lunged through the darkness and felt her hands wrapped around the throat of the man. Smoke began to rise from the skin in her grip, and she smirked, two long bones catching a glint of light from the solitary window.

"Ah, so you broke the chains then?"

"Fuck you!" she snarled before his head was viciously separated from the body below it. "I told you I wasn't going to let you get the jewel, and now I'm getting away from here."

A brilliant flame engulfed the puppet's body as she ran out of the cell. She wasn't capable of seeing perfectly in the dark, but she _could _make shapes and outlines out. She found a massive, ornate door and it was promptly decimated by her fist.

As she ran along the disgusting, rancid corridors of the castle, she began to sense beings stirring around her. Just as she found a stairway, the top was stormed with hundreds of creatures, bearing down on her with thousands of weapons. As she fought her way up the staircase, she became steadily more wounded, and finally the last youkai was dead.

Blood rolling from her side, she stumbled through another hallway, and practically yelled in relief as she found a sword, trapped in a barrier, in an indentation in the wall. She ripped it from the energy around it and watched as the smoking, blistering burn on her skin quickly vanished. She again started for the exit, now with the only thing that was really important to her anymore.

She found a door several feet in front of her and quickly ran toward it.

Just before she reached it, the structure shook and the doors exploded in a wave of splinters. Kagome, despite her injuries, dove to the ground as four people charged into the building.

A cry of agony left her as the tip of a blade, which had been shoved all the way into her shoulder and was now jutting out, pushed into the bone, which began to crack.

Suddenly, she felt a hand wrap around the back of her neck and she was lifted off of the ground roughly.

"Hey, bitch! Where's the holding cells!? Tell us and you live," a brash voice barked out from the darkness.

Suddenly, the hand released its grip as the owner was thrown away from her, a brilliant pink energy glowing from Kagome's body. She pulled the blade from her shoulder and it dropped to the stone floor with a clatter.

"Fucking demons," she snarled. "Kiss my ass," she bit out before stumbling through the doors. It didn't take long for the four to catch up with her, and she was instantly on the ground, her wounds being aggravated by the poisonous soil that entered them.

"That was the wrong answer," he said before pressing his pointer finger to her forehead. "Now give me the right one, bitch."

A dark chuckle came from the forest and Kagome snarled.

"Going from one imprisonment to another. This _is _a predicament, isn't it? What will you do now, Kagome?" a man asked as he appeared from the shadows of the forest.

Kagome knocked the man off of her and took off with incredible speeds.

"I'm sick of you! If you want to die, meet me face to face, you twisted bastard!"

Her hand smashed the man's face and he fell after a loud, echoing _crunch _came from his body.

As she followed through with her punch, the sudden change of weight on her legs threw her already-feeble balance. With a painful _thud, _she fell to the ground face-first.

"Son of a bitch," she growled, realizing what was happening. "Stupid blood-loss."

She began to push herself up when she felt a hand on her. _Again_.

With a snarl, she spun to the man, who she could now see perfectly. His face made her stop her claw, which had been quickly heading for his throat.

"Y… Yusuke?"

He blinked at her in confusion before taking in her appearance.

"Kagome? Is that you?"

"Not anymore," she said before her eyes slid backward, into her skull. He caught her just before she hit the ground.

"You know her, detective?" Hiei asked, taking in the demoness's haggard appearance.

"Umm… Yeah. Or, I _did_… And she was _not _a demon the last time I saw her."

"She doesn't appear to be a hanyo, either," Kurama said as he inspected her bloody, wounded body. "Perhaps we should get her to Reikai for a healer."

"We can't just leave. We need to find this stupid bitch for Koenma, so he'll stop hassling me."

"I believe that the onna is the one we came for," Hiei said as he watched purifying energy wrap around her unconscious body in self-defense.

"You think? That changes things…"

"How so?" Kurama asked.

"It's someone I know. I'd thought it was just some stupid bitch that they would need to get whatever the hell they want. From what Koenma told me, the thing that Enma's after is actually connected to her, and they want it. I'm not sure if you know this, but the process of screwing with someone's soul involves them going through a hell of a lot of pain. I'm not about to let someone that was so responsible she yelled at me for my first fight get that kind of a deal."

"Regardless, she needs to be healed."

"Why not take her to Genkai's? I'm sure she can do something," Kuwabara suggested.

"It would appear to be the only option," Kurama said as Yusuke gently lifted Kagome.

"Holy hell!" he barked as a powerful shock ran through his body.

"Fool," Hiei sighed. "Her sword seems to not like you."

"Yeah? It'll have to deal with it," he growled as he again lifted her up.

He was shocked when, upon her body's removal from the ground, blood sprayed out of her back in several directions.

"What the hell!?"

"She's going to die of blood-loss, at this rate, detective," Hiei sighed. "Perhaps I should get her back, as I'm the least likely to kill her wasting time."

Yusuke grudgingly nodded and gently handed his bleeding friend to Hiei. The shock that had hit the detective either didn't hit Hiei or wasn't strong enough for him to care as her weight became supported by his arms. The second she was completely in his grip, they were both gone, a black blur vanishing into the woods…

Hiei ran through the forest, his eyes bleeding red as the sword shocked him in a random pattern, causing his arms to burn.

"Damned miko. Always more trouble than you're worth, the whole lot of you," he growled as his third eye flared. Suddenly, a portal formed in front of him. He vanished through it and came out on the grounds of a temple.

As soon as he appeared, the blue-haired youkai looked up in surprise.

"What-"

"She needs to be healed," Hiei sighed as the pain made his arms start to shake. She quickly led him through the temple and into a small room, where he quickly put her down on a bed. As soon as the sword wasn't in contact with him, Hiei's burnt arms started to heal rapidly, and the wounds were gone in mere minutes.

Yukina quickly got to work, trying to heal the various fatal-appearing wounds. Whatever had happened to her before they'd gotten there had obviously been a dangerous battle, and Hiei was amazed such a frail-looking woman had been able to apparently take whatever happened and live.

The sound of a door sliding open had Hiei's attention on the psychic who'd just entered, her eyes flying to Kagome.

"I thought I recognized the aura… What happened to her to put her in this condition?" she asked, walking past Hiei and looking down at the unconscious girl.

"We got there late. She had several wounds, and as the demons in the castle caused them, it was unlikely she was an enemy. Her wounds were worsened by her own stubbornness. Though the detective certainly seemed surprised."

Genkai looked at the girl and smirked.

"Figures. Yusuke couldn't handle her if he used every bit of youki and reiki in his body."

"You know her, then?"

"Yes. Quite some time ago. She was human then, and she didn't have such a strong aura. I have to say, I'm impressed you aren't dead, Hiei. This kind of power would render almost any youkai dead in seconds."

Yukina quietly worked on the wounds, and suddenly her eyes flashed open.

"There's something trying to push me away… oh…"

Suddenly, a powerful blast of energy filled the room and Yukina was thrown back against the wall.

Kagome's eyes fluttered open at the sound of something snapping, and she looked to her side to find a blue-haired youkai indented into a wall behind her. Her eyes widened and she quickly sat up, moving to her side before her pains hit her.

"Yuki-onna, are you alright?" she asked the bleeding youkai, who looked at her with fear. It vanished when she saw Kagome's look of concern and confusion, and she quickly pushed herself out of the wall.

"I'll be alright. And I'm a koorime."

"Same thing," Kagome quickly responded, shrugging.

Kagome looked around, noticing one of the people from her captors' group. No, that wasn't right, she thought with a shake of her head. Yusuke had been part of the group. At least, it had _looked _like him.

"Okay… How did I get from the castle to here?"

"How were you in that castle to begin with?" the small apparition challenged.

Kagome closed her eyes and thought about that, images filling her mind like a fast-moving movie.

"I was stupid, and got taken prisoner about a week ago…"

"With the wounds you had, it had to have been longer than that," the other youkai challenged.

"If it helps, these two are, technically, on your side, Kagome," another voice said. Her head whipped around to finally see Genkai standing there, and she smiled.

"Master Genkai!"

"Nice to see you again, though the circumstances could be better."

"Yes, yes, this is fascinating. But it would be rather convenient if you told me how you came to be in that castle now, onna."

She turned to the youkai and smiled, showing her fangs.

"Pardon me if I don't trust you," she said with a tone so cold the blue-haired youkai actually stepped back involuntarily. "I was imprisoned in a cell for an entire week, being tortured by a demon that I, by all accounts, _should _have been able to rip apart without a problem."

"Then do tell us," a new voice said, "how you got captured."

Kagome's gaze turned to a red-haired man with two auras.

"Oh, shit! Shippo… Listen, not that this all isn't riveting and everything. I appreciate getting saved and everything… But you wouldn't happen to know the fastest way to the Higurashi Shrine from here?"

"The Higurashi Shrine? Why would a demon be interested in a shrine?" another man with fiery-orange hair asked.

He appeared to be the weakest of everyone present in the room, including the small, frail-looking blue-haired youkai. A goofy-looking face held deep, dull-looking brown eyes as well as a confused frown. The aura around him was a brilliant, light blue, similar to a miko's, but had the rough edges to it of youki.

"Unfortunately, it will be dangerous if you wander around, so you will need to take someone with you if you're going to go to a shrine," the redhead said.

"Look," she said testily, "I don't need a babysitter. What I _need _to do is go get someone important to me. There aren't many left, and now that I'm gone, that's where that bastard is going. So, again I ask, what's the fastest way to the Higurashi Shrine?"

"Relax, Kagome," Genkai sighed. "Your family will be fine."

"With all due respect, Master Genkai, they're not. They're dead. And right now, the only people still alive are at the shrine, and there's no way in Hell that he won't go for them."

"Perhaps you should explain the situation," the redhead said, starting to get on her nerves.

"I still don't get why a youkai would want to go to a shrine."

"It's where she lives," yet _another _new voice said. This one was familiar, and she stood stock-still.

"So it's really you, huh?"

"Long time no see, Kags."

She turned to face him and found him smirking.

"I would say sorry about missing your funeral, but it looks like it was unnecessary. Since when are you a youkai?"

"I could ask the same thing," he replied, his smirk not faltering.

"Alright, Yusuke. I'll answer if you tell me how to get to my shrine quickly."

"I don't really know. It's probably three cities away."

"Huh… Well, luckily, traveling isn't really a problem for me, in theory… Three cities?"

"Yeah, probably…"

"Alright then. Thanks," she said before vanishing from the room.

"Hiei, follow her," Genkai sighed. "She's strong, but I think the trail of blood she's leaving will be too obvious to anyone paying attention."

"Blood? I healed her," Yukina objected.

"Yes, but she's using youki to move faster. Whatever you managed to heal before she knocked you away, she's torn open."

Hiei's eyes widened a fraction in understanding before he, too, vanished with a speed that, if you paid very close attention, appeared to be slower than Kagome's…

**Kagome POV**

Quickly, I launched through the air. While the things that had been done to me were an atrocity against nature, they gave me some obvious advantages.

With each time my feet met a new surface, pain lanced through my entire body. And every time, I ignored it as best as I possibly could and pushed off again. By the time I'd reached the second city's limits, I was hyperaware of the blood leaking from my side, and how it made my feet too slick to have good balance.

I started to jump again only to find myself pushing youki into the air underneath me so I could sustain myself.

_Finally, _I reached the familiar stone steps and half-stumbled, half-crawled up to the grounds. Immediately, I sensed the presences of my remaining loved ones and staggered toward the house.

"I smell blood," a small, low voice said inside.

"And there's a strong youki nearby, too," another added.

"Momma said that we should hide if a youkai attacked," a third voice said shakily.

I reached the door and slid it open, completely aware of the blood that stuck to the paper from my hand.

As I stepped inside, I was met by a tall, orange-haired youkai with glistening fangs and bright, blue-green eyes. Three long, slender orange tails with streaks of cream-colored fur through them swung slowly behind the man.

"Who are you?" he asked, a cold edge to his voice.

"Shippo! That's amazing! You grew another tail in a week!?"

His eyes widened as he took in my bloody and, I'm positive, demonic appearance.

"Momma?"

"Yeah. I'm back, finally. I'm so sorry I couldn't be here to protect you guys, but I'm back now," I said, a smile on my face. A large cloud of smoke filled the room and the man was gone, a small boy with a large, furry tail and wide green eyes in his place.

Two other children appeared, and the three quickly ran to me.

"You're bleeding!" a boy that appeared to be a few years older than Shippo with brown-black hair exclaimed.

"It's fine," I sighed. "I just reopened some wounds getting here… Alright, children. We're going now."

"But you're so injured!" the third child, a girl that appeared even younger than Shippo yelled.

I was about to soothe her when a strong youki suddenly appeared behind me.

"I believe you four should hide," the apparition's voice said.

"I don't hide," I bit out, turning to face him.

"Fine with me. Don't hide. But you'll just be going from one prison to another."

"What are you talking about?"

Suddenly, the hair on the back of my neck stood up and I felt a strange energy filling the air.

I didn't know _what _the energy was, but I knew instinctively that it would be _very _bad if I was in the open when the source of the energy showed up.

"Kids, come on," I said, quickly bringing them across the shrine grounds and to the well house, where there was a very bad chance of being found.

**Hiei POV**

The woman quickly ran to a small shed, three children in tow. As soon as they were out of sight, the hunters appeared.

Three tall, pathetically weak minions appeared from a portal that formed.

"Hello, _demon_," the one in command sneered.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

"And why aren't you with your team, hunting for the target in Makai?"

I eyed all three, taking in their stances. In a fight, they wouldn't stand a chance against me for more than a second. But killing Enma's pawns wasn't a wise decision, and I wasn't about to put my life on the line for a random woman simply because she knew the detective. But lying, fortunately, was my specialty.

"The target wasn't _in _Makai. Interestingly enough, there _was _a rather strange demon there, though."

"A strange demon? What kind?"

"We weren't there long enough to find out," I said with a shrug. "The target wasn't there, so there was no point staying there."

"Don't lie, you stupid demon! We know for a _fact _that the stupid bitch was in that castle!"

"Regardless of what you know, the person we were looking for wasn't there. You said she would have a powerful, purifying aura. The entire castle was filled with youki and nothing else."

Lying while adding truth to it, I'd found early in my life, was a good way to make it believable. The castle _hadn't, _in fact, had any miko energy. To sense the energy in the woman, you would have to peel away the thick coating of youki around her, which very few would be able to do.

"King Enma's information is infallible! Are you saying you failed to capture that bitch!?"

"_Capture_?" I asked, making the minion that had said it gasp. "Odd thing to say, as I thought we'd been sent to _rescue _the jewel's protector."

"She's dangerous, and we need to break her mind and gain the location of the jewel before someone else does."

I eyed all three of them, a sense of anger rising as I gripped the hilt of my blade.

"I don't like being lied to, fools."

"You're a dirty little demonic hybrid thief! What do we care what you _like_!?" the commander sneered. It vanished when I did, and his eyes widened in fear.

The pure terror from the Reikai minion as my sword pressed to his throat was truly invigorating, and I took a deep breath, pulling the scent of fear and adrenaline into myself.

"You shouldn't look down on those who can kill you, pawn," I whispered, making the fear coming from him even stronger. "I suggest you leave my sight. I came here to find any clues about the miko, but it would seem that there was a rather large battle here. About a week ago, I would guess."

I pulled the sword away and instantly, the fools were gone.

**Narrator POV**

Hiei quickly sheathed his blade and ran to the small shed. As soon as he slid the door open, Kagome stood up, the three children following suite.

"Who were they?"

"Those would be the fools that are hunting you."

"They said you were sent to capture me," she said, dropping to a defensive crouch.

"We were told that we'd be 'rescuing' you, though it was obviously a lie. It would most likely be a good idea to get back to Genkai's."

"That sounds like a good idea," she said with a nod. "But I need some help."

"With the amount of blood you've lost, you _need _to not move any more, onna."

"I can move," Kagome protested. "I just need you to use that ice inside of you to freeze my arm until I get to the temple."

Hiei's eyes widened to the size of saucers, but quickly regained his composure.

"You speak foolishly, onna."

"My name's Kagome, so stop calling me onna," she bit out. "I know you're part Yuki-onna, and for whatever reason, you think that's a vulnerability. I need you to seal this wound so I can get around without leaving another blood trail."

"Momma, we can always ride Kirara," a dark-haired boy said quickly.

"I know, honey. But I'm not going to burden her with my own weight, when she can protect you three better if I'm not weighing her down."

There was a small meow and suddenly, a small, two-tailed, cream-colored cat appeared in the well house.

"A youkai cat and a kitsune are at a shrine… This is rather interesting," the apparition observed.

"Look, can you just freeze my arm? If I lose any more blood, I'm going to have a really hard time getting back."

With a sigh, he gently grabbed Kagome's bleeding shoulder. A brilliant blue energy engulfed her body and her eyes suddenly widened as the blood in her arm froze. Everything else followed, and slowly, Kagome's arm turned completely blue.

"It will hold for roughly ten minutes."

"T… Thanks," she said, trying to stop her chattering teeth. "Kirara… follow me…"

The cat walked outside and suddenly, in a huge cloud of flames, nearly quadrupled in size.

"Kids, get on Kirara, okay? We're going to a safe place."

The three slowly climbed onto the cat, Kirara, and she took to the sky with a roar.

"Let's… get going, before I freeze myself to death," Kagome said before she left the hut. Together, she and Hiei took off, both surprised with the other's speed. Within ten minutes, they reached Genkai's temple, and the questions that were awaiting Kagome…

A/N:

Well, here's the beginning to my new fanfiction. Anyone that read my others will know I _can _write very well. But if you've read _Cataclysm_, you'll see the result of a story when it's put on hold. I'm going to make sure that, while writing this fanfiction, I'll focus on this one's plot so that I don't lose any of my original intent.

Hopefully, I'll love writing this as much as I did _Darkness_. So, be sure to review and tell me your thoughts and opinions.

Translation notes:

POV- Point-of-View

Onna- woman

Yuki-onna- Literally 'Snow Woman'; an ice spirit in Japanese mythology

Koorime- ice apparition

Youkai- Japanese word for Demon

Reikai- Spirit World

King Enma- Reikai's king

Koenma- Reikai's prince

Makai- Demon World

Youki- demonic energy

Reiki (not quite sure if it's correctly spelled)- human psychic energy

Miko- A shrine maiden of Shinto, or a priestess who serves deities at Shinto shrines

Pairings: (and yes, there are a lot of them, but I think I can handle them)

Yusuke X Keiko

Kagome X Kagura (don't know what kind of pairing this will be, but it _will _be there, eventually)

Kurama X Botan (possibly)

Kuwabara X Yukina

Kohaku X Rin

Shippo X Yukina (most likely a friendship pairing)


	2. Situation

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, YuYu Hakusho (As much as I'd love to) or any of the anime/manga characters.

Warnings: Strong Language, GORE!, and Violence

Situation

Kagome stumbled into the temple, trying to ignore the wide-eyed stares of everyone present.

"Holy hell! What happened to your arm!?" Yusuke yelled, eyeing the blue and dead-appearing appendage with shock.

"Let me heal that," Yukina exclaimed, quickly running to Kagome's side. The ice melted the second she touched Kagome's arm, and her teeth immediately stopped chattering.

"It's nothing," Kagome sighed. "I was losing too much blood, so I froze it."

"Momma, who's he?" a small voice asked, making Yusuke jump.

A small girl appeared from behind Kagome, appearing to be about eleven or twelve, clinging onto her leg for dear life. That's when the others noticed the three children around her, and they all looked up at her in surprise.

"Rin, he's an old friend of mine," she said, comfortingly petting her head.

"Why the hell do you have kids!? I'm only a year younger than you, and I'm only nineteen! And they're not too young, either!"

"Heh… that's a strange reaction coming from you, Yusuke. But, if you must know, they're… adopted."

"I would certainly hope so," the redhead said. "You were human, until recently, correct?"

"Yes, _until recently_," Kagome bit out. "A week ago, to be exact."

"Then how is it you have a kitsune pup 'adopted' to you, a miko? I would hope you aren't hurting him."

A hard edge was in his tone, and Kagome bristled at the accusation.

"What, exactly, are you implying?"

"I don't like the idea of a demon being treated as something as low as a pet," he stated coldly. Her eyes quickly flashed with black power and fangs snapped down. But Kagome immediately realized they were there and took several calming breaths.

They helped to get herself out of becoming a demon, but her claws were still clutched tightly.

"A pet? Listen to me carefully. I don't care who you are or how superior you think you are, you don't know me," she growled.

"In this time and place, a demon child belongs in the care of their parents in Makai. The fact that you seem to be doing this to a kitsune pup only raises my anger."

The room watched the two arguing, and there was no doubt something dangerous was going to happen.

"And what, _exactly_, do you think it is I'm doing?"

"Humans don't believe in demons unless they're involved with them, which you obviously are. A slow torture of taking a pup from their parents is one of the lowest crimes, in my opinion, that humans can commit regarding humankind."

Suddenly, there was blood dripping from Kagome's clenched fists, and they were suddenly aware of the tension in her body.

"Have I touched a nerve?" he asked cockily.

"Kurama, cut the shit!"

"Kagome, don't shed any blood in my home," Genkai's voice said harshly.

"Look, I don't know you," she said, clenching her fists and making her body statue-like. "And I've never been a demon before. So I suggest you shut up and disappear, because right now, I have no idea how to stop myself from killing you for that kind of insult for much longer."

The kitsune eyed her as though she was bluffing, and slowly, he began to back away.

"Kagome, you need to relax," Yusuke said, taking a step toward her. Suddenly, the kitsune pup behind her sniffed the air and looked up at her with wide eyes.

"Momma… why do you smell like Naraku?" Shippo asked, making her entire body seemingly relax.

"It's nothing, sweetie," she said with a gentle smile toward the kitsune pup, though her muscles were obviously strained with her attempts to not move.

"What kind of demon are you? You have claws like Lord Sesshomaru," the girl said, looking at the diamond-hard fingernails on Kagome's hand.

"They're not claws, technically, sweetie. They're talons," she said, slowly letting her body relax as her claws shrank to normal fingernails.

"How'd you become a demon?" the other boy asked, eyeing her warily. "He didn't do anything weird to you, did he? There are only two ways I can think of that he could make you a demon."

Kagome smiled, despite the painful question. The children seemed to know exactly how to calm her down. It made sense, though, when she thought about it. After all, Kohaku was a taijiya, Shippo _was _a demon, albeit not fully matured yet, and Rin's 'father' had been a powerful demon. So of course they'd know how to calm her down from a murderous rage.

"Kohaku, it's fine," she sighed. "I didn't let him win, and now I'm here, with you guys. I'm sorry it took so long, but it was kind of hard to build up any strength."

"Who the hell's Naraku?" Yusuke growled.

"Yusuke, could you stop cursing in front of them? You're being a bad influence," she sighed.

"You're avoiding our questions. Rather well, I might add," the redhead observed with a small smile. Apparently, he assumed the danger to his life was over, which, for the most part, it was.

"My problems aren't yours. Once I finish healing, I'm going to figure out a way to make myself human again. Thank you very much," she added, looking at the ice maiden next to her.

"Umm… no problem… Just try not to reopen anything. Your wounds are extensive, and with my lack of experience, I couldn't quite heal everything perfectly."

"It's fine," Kagome said with a smile. "It's much faster than wrapping myself and waiting for it to heal on its own. I really appreciate it."

"Wrapping yourself?" the orange-haired boy asked. "What kind of fights have _you _been in?"

"It's not important. Look, I really appreciate your help, but I have something I need to do, and as soon as I'm human again, I'm going to go fry that stupid demon."

Genkai, who had been silent up until this point, finally vocalized herself.

"You're worse than the dimwit. I taught you to not act rashly, and you're getting ready to run off to Makai, a land you're not familiar with, and fight a demon that's obviously beaten you more than you're letting on."

"With all due respect, Master Genkai-"

"Cut the crap. Had your children not been here, there would have been force necessary to keep you from killing Kurama, whether you want to admit it or not."

Kagome looked down at the ground, avoiding her eyes.

"You don't really think I would be beaten so easily, do you?"

At that, Kagome looked up and her glare clearly conveyed her 'shut the hell up or die' message.

"Here's your situation," Genkai continued, trying to distract them. You're currently a demon on the run from Reikai's king, for whatever reason. You _obviously _don't know how to control your powers yet, or you wouldn't have reopened your wounds leaving. You're protecting three children who seem rather harmless, and the only place Reikai wouldn't dare enter is my temple. You don't have the option to act like a half-assed, suicidal dimwit."

The two women stared at each other, oblivious to all the wide-eyed stares on both of them.

"I can't stay here. I'd be putting you in whoever's wrath is directed at me."

"What'd you even do? We were sent to rescue you and then take you back to Reikai because of some jewel," the orange-haired boy said with a confused frown.

"Yeah, _rescue_," Kagome said with a bitter laugh. "I don't know who you guys take orders from, but they don't want to _rescue _me. They probably want to do the same thing that…"

She suddenly stopped herself from the string of obscenities that she wanted to use to describe Naraku, remembering her children.

"They probably want to do the same thing _he _did for four days."

"And who exactly is it that owned the castle we stormed?" the redhead asked.

"It's not important to you," she bit out again. Evidently, he didn't understand the threat to his life. "But, as Master Genkai seems to trust you and Yusuke's here, I guess I can tell you some things. So, seven days ago I got back from… a trip," she said, hesitating. "When I got back, I found my house obliterated, my family dead, and my enemy waiting for me. He took me to that place. The minute I was at the castle, he made me into a demon. And for the next three days, my body fought itself as my miko qi and youki tried to take control over my body. On day three, the two finally got to a compromise and now, my miko qi is dormant, waiting under my youki for a surprise attack. After I became a demon, he tortured me for four days, trying to get the location of the jewel, the same one your bosses are looking for, from me. He failed," she added with a smirk. "I don't know how strong your bosses are, but there isn't enough cruelty around to break me."

"You think the Reikai's going to torture you?"

"It wouldn't be the first time it happened because someone was looking for the jewel," she said with a shrug.

"Perhaps telling us what, exactly, this jewel even _is_ would be a good start," the redhead sighed.

"Look," she started, finally having had enough of him, "just because I trust Yusuke and Master Genkai doesn't mean I trust you. No offense in any way to my son, but I've learned that kitsune are crafty and cunning, and I'm not in the mood to just tell you whatever you want. And, in your own interest, stop talking, because, as I've said, I don't have control of my powers yet and you're seriously getting on my nerves."

The kitsune's eyes narrowed and he was obviously about to say something else when the apparition interrupted.

"You don't have to tell us anything, onna. But it would be in your best interest, as we are still, officially, looking for you."

She glared at the apparition, but reined in her ire.

"Fine," she bit out. "Tell me your names, and I'll tell you what the jewel is."

"I'm Yukina," the ice maiden said, a brilliant smile on her face, though she eyed Kagome warily.

"Kuwabara Kazuma," the orange-haired boy said, his eyes on the ice maiden. There was definitely some kind of emotion in the look he was giving her, but Kagome didn't care to decipher it at the moment.

"You can call me Kurama," the redhead said, still eyeing her as though she was a joke.

"And of course, you know me," Yusuke said. "Shorty there isn't very social, but his name's Hiei."

"Hn," the apparition sighed.

"So what's with this stupid jewel?"

"It has immense power, and, in the wrong hands, it can give incredible powers to demons if they get it," she said simply.

"So it's like youki steroids?" Kuwabara asked, eyes wide in confusion.

"Umm… That's a strange way to put it, but yeah, kind of."

"And why do you, a human, have such a relic?" Kurama asked, returning to his wary glaring.

"_Look_!" she exclaimed, her control starting to slip again. "I didn't _ask _for it. Now, seriously, _stop talking_!"

At that, the kitsune stalked out of the room, glaring at her. The look he gave her clearly said 'follow me' as he passed, and she quickly left after him. Everyone else quickly followed as Kagome's claws grew again.

"It's usually hard to get on my bad side, but you're very good at it. I don't like taking orders unless I have to," Kurama said.

"Both of you need to calm down, before someone dies," Genkai said, eyeing the two.

"I don't want to go too far. But I can't even be near someone if they act like he is. He needs to learn that I'm not some random girl to talk down to," Kagome reasoned, ignoring the kitsune.

Suddenly, there was a whipping sound through the air and Kagome caught the razor-sharp whip in her hand. She quickly pulled on it and Kurama was pulled through the air, and right into her fist. He lost his hold on the weapon and she tossed it aside before glaring down at him.

"You should know it's useless. I can't be hit so easily. Nice try though."

His hand shot up and she jumped back before another long whip formed from his fist. With a sigh, she kicked his head, effectively knocking him unconscious.

"Is he usually so stupid?" she asked, eyeing the downed demon.

"He's usually the calm, calculating one," Yusuke said, scratching his head. "We should probably get him inside."

Yusuke quickly moved the kitsune inside, followed by everyone but Kagome. She was too focused on the approaching youki she'd felt when she was half-way to the temple.

Kagome walked out to the middle of the grounds, her claws glowing with red energy. She found a tall, grotesque mix between a human and a large cat staring at her.

She quickly absorbed its appearance with both awe and horror. The demon stood on two long, black legs that ended in five long claws. Around the creature, a large gray tail swiveled back and forth. Two mismatched, silver eyes were in the center of a silver-haired, human-appearing face with pale, grayish skin. A small, human-appearing ear was on one side of the woman's hair while a round, dog-like ear was on the top of the other side.

The demon's silver eyes locked on Kagome, and a cruel, fanged smile formed.

"Naraku said you'd be here."

At that, Kagome's eyes turned into black slits and fangs once again formed.

"Naraku sent you?"

"Oh, no. He told me where to find the jewel's location. I've sure you've entertained this before, but hand over the jewel and you live."

Kagome smirked, her fangs gleaming.

"Oh, you have no idea how many times I've heard that. And not a single demon's beaten me yet."

"With the jewel, I can complete this damned transformation and become a completely humanoid demon."

"Ha! There have been nobler reasons than _vanity _to try to kill me! I'll give you one chance to run with your life," she said before flexing her claws.

The demon launched at Kagome, and she quickly brought her claw across its chest. Five long sprays of blood hit the ground and then, the demon began manically swinging. The second Kagome avoided one claw, another would swing at her throat as she was slowly backed toward the steps of the shrine.

"Bad choice," she said before jumping forward. A long, bloody strip of sinew and flesh coming with her. The demon shrieked in agony as her arm was slowly pulled apart, and Kagome quickly released the skin in her grip. "I'm not in a very forgiving mood right now."

The demon turned to face her, both eyes slitted in pure hatred.

"You fucking bitch! I'm going to kill you!"

She began running again, swinging her good arm as Kagome dodged with considerable ease. She noticed all the people watching her, and decided to end it.

"I'm not really into torture. Sorry."

Kagome launched forward and the demon died with one loud, echoing cry and a massive spray of blood. Its headless body fell limply to the ground and Kagome spit on it, surprising the others. The spit hit the body and it slowly began to melt.

And then, an incredible agony ripped through Kagome's being as her untrained powers, which she'd given a little leverage, used the new freedom to take a hit at her miko qi. And then, she was swallowed in darkness…

A/N:

Qi- chi, life energy, ki

Kitsune- literally 'fox'

Taijiya- demon slayer

Sinew- muscle

Okay! I've finished coming up with the fanfiction's plot, and I think that it will turn out _very _well! I'm going for a much more intense atmosphere than my previous fanfictions, and the first fight should get that across, I think.

There will be some short chapters, but there will be a lot of content to make up for any short lengths, as I separated events with purpose. I know that I've made Kurama kind of prick-ish, but he'll get better, I promise. I hope you enjoyed reading this. Be sure to tell me your opinions!


	3. Training

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, YuYu Hakusho (As much as I'd love to) or any of the anime/manga characters.

Warnings: Mild Language

Training

Darkness slowly lifted from Kagome's mind. As she slid her eyes open, they were assaulted with blindingly painful light.

She groaned and rolled onto her side, trying to get away from the light, but it didn't seem to be working.

"Sorry. I gave you some pain-killers, but we couldn't heal you," Yusuke said from somewhere nearby.

"You couldn't heal me?"

"There wasn't anything for me to heal," Yukina's quiet voice said, practically whispering.

"Oh… I was hoping that it was just the demon getting a last attack in."

"What the _hell_, Kagome!? You were ripping the thing apart!"

"I was not! I only took off his arm," she defended.

"You don't call that ripping it apart!?"

"No. I've seen demons quarter people. _That _is ripping something apart.

"What's 'quartering' someone?" Yukina asked. Kagome slowly opened her eyes again to find the light slightly more tolerable. She looked around to find herself in a wide room with Yusuke and Yukina sitting on chairs nearby.

"You _really _don't want to go into it," Kagome sighed.

"I think I _do_," Yusuke bit out. "What the hell is quartering!?"

At that point, Kagome watched Kurama walk in with wide eyes.

"Who's talking about quartering?"

"She is! She won't tell me what the hell it is, but she thinks it makes tearing an arm off look tame."

"Well I should say so," Kurama said, staring at Kagome. "How exactly do you know what quartering is?"

"I saw demons doing it once."

"That is a rather old practice. I highly doubt you've seen demons that brutal," he challenged.

"Well, the actual act of quartering didn't have a name, I think…"

"It was named in 1814," Kurama challenged condescendingly.

"Yeah, I know."

"Can someone tell me what the hell quartering is!?"

"Perhaps young Yukina shouldn't be listening to this conversation," Kurama said, feeling the same way as Kagome about giving little children, even demon ones, this kind of information.

"I'll go see if anyone wants tea," she said, quickly leaving the room.

As soon as they were sure she was out of earshot, Kurama closed the door and sighed.

"Quartering was a vulgar act that was used as a way to punish traitors in the early 1800s."

"That's not an answer!"

"Yusuke, this will give you nightmares," Kagome sighed. "I still have them."

"I doubt it!"

"They cut off your four limbs and beheaded you," Kurama sighed, making Yusuke's jaw drop.

"They called it quartering because they were, in fact, separating the body's quarters, along with the head," Kagome finished, making Yusuke's head snap to her.

"Are you _serious_!?"

"Yeah," she sighed.

"And you saw a demon doing that!? I don't think I've even met a demon that brutal," Yusuke exclaimed.

"That's because the kind of demons with such small intelligence are quickly destroyed in the Makai," Kurama said, eyeing Kagome warily. "And I don't think you're lying about seeing a demon do it, either."

"I'm not," Kagome sighed. "Did Yukina say if I'd be able to move around any time soon?" she asked Yusuke.

"She said that you weren't even going to be able to get up for another two days, so who knows," Yusuke said with a shrug.

"Hey… is she related to Hiei or something?"

Their eyes flew wide open and she shrugged.

"Well, he's got ice powers in him, and she's an ice maiden. I was just curious."

"If Hiei knows you know, he might wipe your brain or something, so be careful," Yusuke groaned.

"She is his sister."

"Huh… That makes sense. Well, if he wants to keep it a secret, that's fine by me."

Kagome moved her body experimentally and found that everything worked like it was supposed to. She slowly slid her legs over the side of the bed and attempted to stand up. And immediately fell backward.

"Ugh… I guess that I'll be here for a while…"

"What happened, anyway? Why'd you suddenly black out?"

She pulled herself back into a lying down position and looked over at Yusuke.

"Well, it's kind of hard to explain… Think of my youki like a big, rabid dog. It's an accurate picture. I gave it a little room so I could get rid of the demon, and it took the freedom to try to strangle my miko qi with the leash. And, since both energies are in my body, it choked me, too."

"I believe you need to train to control your youki, then."

She glared at Kurama and suddenly remembered that she didn't like him.

"Hey, you should know something, fox boy," she said, bringing his full attention to her. "I beat you. I barely used my power to do it. So believe me when I say that if you even _touch _my children, I'll put _you _in a coma."

"Yes, well, at the moment, you can barely move, so threatening me isn't really effective."

"But _I _can and will kick your ass," Yusuke said, surprising Kurama. "You're usually the calm one, but when a kit's involved, you've lost your head."

"Yes, well, I don't particularly like the idea that a kit is being treated as a-"

Suddenly, there was a razor-sharp nail at his side, despite Kagome having not moved from her spot.

"Don't say pet," she bit out. "I love Shippo as my son, and if you insinuate, _ever again_, that it's anything less, you won't breathe again."

Kurama's wide eyes watched as the claw dissolved and turned to ash.

"That's a cool trick," Yusuke said, watching as the claws turned back to nails on Kagome's right hand.

Kagome lay back down, panting.

"It's a trick I learned from a demon while in that castle," she said with a shrug. "But I can't hold it for very long, and it hurts like hell if I keep it up too long. Would you mind if I got some sleep?"

Yusuke quickly vacated the room, dragging a frozen Kurama with him…

Yusuke and Kurama quickly walked to the temple, asking everyone to gather there. They sent the children to Kagome's room, and everyone started to come once they were gone.

"I'm going to guess that you're worried about having Kagome here," Genkai said as a way of greeting.

"She's dangerous," Kurama said as soon as everyone was with him.

"No doubt. And the Reikai is looking for her," Hiei added.

"She's a student of mine. Unlike the dimwit, she can keep herself under control for the most part."

"Not to bash her, but she nearly decapitated Kurama," Yusuke sighed. "I don't want to screw her over, or anything, but we need to do _something_."

"Not to mention that I'm unable to heal her wounds efficiently. That's very rare."

They looked at Yukina, who was staring at the ground.

"Genkai, what did you teach her?" Yusuke asked suddenly, making the group stop to listen.

"I taught her the basics of the Spirit Wave."

"She doesn't have spirit energy," Kurama sighed, frustration lacing his voice.

"I'm aware of that. I said the basics, not the actual thing. She had holy energy, similar to what Sensui used. I taught her to manipulate it into an attack, like Usuke's spirit gun. It took a whole ten months of training less than the dimwit to teach her, too."

"So… Kagome knows how to use the Spirit Wave?" Yusuke reiterated.

A sudden influx of energy appeared before Genkai could answer and the group turned as a whole to find a tall woman floating near them.

"Hey guys!" she exclaimed cheerfully.

"What's up, Botan?"

"Oh, quite a bit, actually! It's been four days since you were sent to find that miko, and King Enma is _not _happy."

"So the toddler's giving us more orders?" Yusuke groaned.

"No. I thought that you should know current events," she said with a frown. "Actually, I'm here so I don't get in His Majesty's line of fire," she whispered secretively, though everyone heard her. "So, Lady Genkai, do you mind if I stay here until things cool down up there?"

"Whatever," the woman sighed. "Now then, dimwit, listen carefully. Yes, she knows how to use the Spirit Wave. So I suggest that you keep Kurama away from her if he wants to live."

With that, she turned and disappeared around a corner in the temple.

"Who knows how to use the Spirit Wave?" Botan asked curiously.

"Nobody important," Hiei sneered. "I'm going."

And then, his form disappeared, leaving Botan to eye the others suspiciously.

"Yusuke, _who _can use the Spirit Wave? I thought only you and Lady Genkai could use it."

Just then, a sudden increase in youki poured through the temple and without a word, everyone ran to the guest room, where they found Kagome tossing and turning violently. The children were watching with wide, hopeless-looking eyes.

"Whoa, what kinda' nightmare makes you explode with power?"

As soon as Kuwabara spoke, Kagome shot up, her eyes wild and alert. After she took in her surroundings, she sighed and ran a hand over her forehead.

"Who's she?"

Yusuke jumped when he remembered Botan's presence and tried to come up with a satisfactory lie.

"Who are you?" Kagome responded, taking in the blue-haired woman's appearance.

Bright pink eyes blinked slowly as the woman walked over to Kagome's side.

"I'm Botan," she said with a bright smile, extending her hand.

"Umm… Kagome," she answered unsurely, shaking the extended hand. "What exactly are you?"

Kagome inspected the woman's appearance slowly, trying to come up with an answer to her own question, but couldn't come up with one.

"I'm what you would call a Grim Reaper!"

"Huh… So you collect souls, then?"

"That's right!"

"Were you around about… 530 years ago?"(1)

"Umm… The Warring States Era? Yes, I was… That was a really bad time for shingami… I remember back then, there was this group of five people that got killed protecting a miko… They said they wanted to be reincarnated, if I remember right."

Botan didn't understand the look of hope in Kagome's eyes, and grew even more confused when she spoke again.

"Those five. There wasn't, by any chance, an inu hanyo with them, was there?"

"As a matter of fact, there was! I remember him! He was _so _rude!" she said with a pout. "He said that he wanted to be reincarnated or he'd kill me!"

Kagome chuckled at that, her eyes sliding closed as her still-fresh memories rushed to her.

"Yeah, that sounds like him…"

Botan's eyes widened at that.

"Umm… Excuse me, Kagome, but you are aware of the fact that we can't possibly talking about someone you know, right?"

"You would think so, huh? So, what happened with their souls?"

"Well, let's see… I believe the hanyo's brother passed on to Heaven, and the two humans were reincarnated to find each other for the rest of the Earth's existence. The wolf demon was reincarnated to always watch over his pack."

"And the hanyo?" Kagome asked brightly. Her hope of a peaceful existence for her love died with the grim expression on the Reaper's face.

"The hanyo was stuck in limbo…"

"What!?"

Botan jumped at Kagome's tone, but quickly went on.

"Well, there was some kind of complication. Something about promising his soul to Hell, but he would be able to move onto Heaven for protecting someone important… They stuck him in limbo while they thought of what to do… I think he's still there, too."

Nobody seemed to notice that tightness in Kagome's muscles, or the way her jaw was clenched.

"I think you guys should probably leave," Shippo said, watching as her anger started to rise.

"Have I said something?" Botan asked, finally noticing the white-knuckled grip Kagome had on her thighs.

"What's the matter, Kagome? We're talking about a hanyo that died over five hundred years ago."

"His name was Inuyasha," she said quietly.

"Yes! That was his name! But how do you know that?" Botan asked warily.

A bitter laugh left Kagome, and she hit the wall. It seemed like a frustrated tap, but the wall where she hit practically exploded, making the group jump.

"I'm the reason those five died," she said, her tone cold and edged like a razor.

"With all due respect, are you okay?" Botan asked, eyeing Kagome warily. "They died to protect a miko from a hanyo more than _five hundred _years ago."

"Yeah, I'm aware of that. Stop bringing it up," she bit out, starting to stand. "Where's my sword?"

"It was starting to attack anyone that got near you, so we put a barrier on it," Kuwabara said quickly.

Kagome looked around to find her sword hanging in the air, and walked over to it. As she reached, tendrils of power shot out, burning her. Regardless, her hand closed around the sheath and she pulled it from the barrier.

Then, her lack of movement from before caught up to her and she quickly pulled the sword, stabbing it into the ground as a way to keep herself upright.

"WHOA! Did anyone else just see a freaking _huge _sword come out of that tiny piece of wood!?" Kuwabara exclaimed, looking at the massive blade warily.

"Momma!"

Kagome's head turned and she found Shippo running to her. She steadied herself and sheathed the blade, panting at the exertion.

"I'm fine… Shippo…"

"What kind of demon _are _you?" Botan inquired, looking at the sword. "That sword has a lot of old youki in it, and it's strong."

"What I am isn't important," Kagome panted. "Right now, I need to go kill a demon so that Inuyasha can move on."

She began to pull the sword out again when a small hand caught her wrist.

"Don't! You _know _that you'll lose if you go now!"

Kagome sighed and, using the sword as a crutch, quickly moved back to the bed.

"You weren't a demon until recently, so that means you weren't around to know this Inuyasha person," Kurama reasoned, standing protectively next to the Reaper.

"I wasn't a demon. I was a priestess that, until very recently, went to the Sengoku Jidai to help my friends fight against a powerful hanyo. Except, the hanyo was by all accounts weak, on his own, so he had to use dirty traps to catch people off-guard."

Nobody missed the hateful bitterness in her voice, and she looked up at them.

"So there! That's the big secret. I practically lived in the Warring States Era for the last five years(2). So yeah, I knew Inuyasha, and I'm in a bad mood that these people you work for seem to have put him in limbo when he deserves to move on."

As she spoke, her voice had risen, and the entire room was astounded at the rage that had been boiling under the surface. A hand gently gripped her shoulder and she pulled Shippo to her, smiling slightly.

"Sorry, Shippo. I needed to let some things out… Anyway, as soon as I'm healed enough, I'm going to reverse this damn curse and then, I'm going to kill Naraku."

Botan stared at her and slowly, her eyes widened in understanding.

"You're the girl they were sent to rescue! Why aren't you in Reikai?"

"Your bosses want a powerful weapon. I'm not about to hand it over… As to why I'm _here_, I'm still a little confused about that…"

"I brought you here because you were my friend not so long ago," Yusuke said quietly. "I didn't think our real reason for being sent there was as good as it sounded, so I didn't take you back."

"Huh… Thank you, I guess… So that answers that."

"Yusuke," Botan said in a scolding tone, "you know that Reikai isn't evil!"

"Regardless of good or evil, King Enma would most likely resort to any means to have his way," Kurama sighed.

"I would end up dead quickly. I don't know who King Enma is, but unless he's as cold and cruel as Naraku, he'd have to resort to torture bad enough to kill me to get me to tell him anything about the jewel."

"You must feel strongly about protecting the Shikon, then," Botan sighed. "I don't know you, but those humans mentioned a powerful, pure miko that protected something powerful before they moved on. I don't know what exactly King Enma will do, but if you don't try to do anything too dangerous, and you lay as low as you can, I can probably keep Reikai from finding you, at least for a short time…"

Kagome looked the woman up and down and a warm smile came over her, despite her still-simmering anger.

"Thank you, Botan. I should be healed soon enough."

"You ain't going anywhere without training yourself," Yusuke said quickly. Kagome frowned, but offered no argument as Botan vanished.

"Fine," she sighed after a long moment of silence…

A/N:

Inu- dog

Hanyo- half-demon

Shinigami- death god (Grim Reaper)

(1)- This story is taking place in 2008; read the history below to understand.

(2)- Kagome's 20 in this story, and she was 15 in the beginning of Inuyasha. I'm stretching the timeline quite a bit, but that's the fun in writing fanfictions, right?

Okay, there's chapter 2! I enjoyed writing this chapter, but next chapter is when the real drama starts! I hope you're enjoying so far! Tell me what you think! And if you want to know some historical facts pertaining to what they're talking about in the beginning, look below! See you next time!

(Correctional History) If you look at history, the Sengoku Jidai, or Warring States Era, happened from 1467-1478. Assuming that Inuyasha took place in 2000, that means the Warring States was, even if it occurred at the very end of the Sengoku Jidai, 522 years in the past. It's not a big difference, but it _is _a difference. Not that it's a bad thing, I love Inuyasha. I just don't like inaccuracies.

Quartering was an act by the British that was used as a punishment for traitors in 1814 AD. And yes, I realize knowing this random information makes me a huge nerd, but it's important to this chapter.


	4. Suspicion

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, YuYu Hakusho (As much as I'd love to) or any of the anime/manga characters.

Warnings: Very Mild Language

Suspicion

"Come on! Hit me!" Yusuke yelled with a mocking laugh. Kagome growled and lunged, swinging her claws with full force.

"When did you get so fast?" she panted as she, for the fifth time, missed him by an inch.

"Hey, what can I say? I guess it's being part demon. So what's your excuse, slowpoke?"

Kagome straightened and turned, getting ready to pounce again. Her aggravation was increasing steadily. It had been two weeks since she'd healed and started training with Genkai again, as well as Yusuke, and she _still _couldn't hit him for some reason.

Of course, the rule against her using youki was probably a part of it, but it wasn't the whole problem.

"What happened to the girl that used to boss me around more than Keiko, huh?" he laughed. "You used to be tough!"

Kagome lunged again, and this time, missed by mere _centimeters_ as he jumped high above her.

"I do _not _boss you around!" a female voice complained.

"Sorry, Keiko! But you used to act like my mother," he countered to his fiancé, who was watching their sparring match just like everybody else at Genkai's temple.

Keiko pouted, making both Kagome and Yusuke laugh.

"You know he doesn't really mean it, Keiko," Kagome sighed. After having met up with her other childhood friend, Kagome had quickly reconnected with Keiko. They'd spent a lot of Kagome's free time talking over the last week and a half.

Of course, the _reason _that Yusuke had brought her there wasn't a good thing, but at least Kagome had someone to talk to other than Yusuke.

"Think fast!"

Kagome spun away from Yusuke's fist and quickly shot her foot up, attempting to hit his chest. He quickly jumped back, making her miss by a fraction of a second. Evidently, her body was having a much harder time adjusting to the youki inside of her than she'd first thought.

"Wow, Kagome. You _almost_ hit me again!"

"Shut up, Yusuke. I'll make sure when I _do _hit you, it'll hurt. I _was _a fantastic fighter, before my body stopped listening to me all the time."

That was another thing that was making Kagome irritated. Much like when she'd had that first backlash of power, the miko often found that her body didn't want to listen to her commands, often as simple as 'stand straight.' Over the last two weeks, her body had slowly begun to react as it had before she was transformed, but she still wasn't in control enough to hit Yusuke.

"Yeah, well, that's why you're training with the hag _and _me! Hopefully, you'll be able to follow through with that threat sometime this century."

"Calling her a hag is disrespectful," she scolded, causing his smirk to grow.

"_There _she is!"

Kagome glared at his cocky smirk, and once again started running. After another hour of near-misses, Kagome finally hit Yusuke, using a kick to distract him while she hit his abdomen. And, just as promised, he doubled over in pain.

"Ha! Don't be so cocky, Yusuke!"

"That was a good trick," he wheezed.

Kagome sat on the ground, her breathing erratic and shaky.

"Thanks… Man that was a workout…"

"But at least you've got some good control over your youki now. Chasing me around for two hours while holding it all in _should _give you control…"

"Yeah," Kagome said with a smile. "Maybe I'll be able to get full control of my body soon."

"Let's hope so," he said, smirking. "I want to see what you can do in a fight with everything you've got."

After a long time, the two got up and the group walked back to the temple. Kagome disappeared for a few hours of peaceful relaxation via sleep, and woke with a sense of foreboding.

Shaking it off, she quickly got dressed and walked back to the temple, where she found everyone talking quietly.

"What's up?" she asked, seeing their tense faces. The fact that Botan was there when she hadn't been before falling asleep had her worried.

"Reikai thinks you somehow escaped on your own to the Ningenkai, and they're looking all over the world for you. They aren't even pretending to care whether you're brought in safely anymore," Botan said quietly.

"Alright… So I'm leaving, then, if it's going to cause problems. I can move on my own now, for the most part…"

"Not a chance," Yusuke sighed. "We don't know everything about this whole thing, so we're not about to just let you get yourself caught."

Kagome sighed, trying her hardest to ignore the sense of foreboding that was coming at her in waves.

"Look, I don't want to cause any trouble for Master Genkai-"

"Right now, it would seem, they don't have a clue as to your whereabouts. They don't know of your connection to either Lady Genkai or Yusuke. This is the safest place, at the moment," Kurama said matter-of-factly.

With a sigh, Kagome sat down with the others. After a few more rather explosive arguments, Kagome had begun to somewhat like the kitsune. He was obviously smart, and he was usually collected and calculating with everything. So, at least the two had stopped going at each other's throats.

"I think that you'll be able to completely move with another day or two of training," Yusuke said optimistically.

"Alright, then… None of you owe me anything, you know."

"It's got nothing to do with owing you anything. I just don't like giving someone over to be tortured without a _very _good reason."

"Thanks, Yusuke… I don't think I have to tell anybody but you, but if the people after me _do _show up here for me, don't fight for me. If it's me or you, it has to be me."

"You're more like the dimwit than I thought," Genkai sighed.

"It's not out of pride or anything like that," Kagome quickly added, seeing the looks on most of their faces. "As long as only I know where the jewel is, then dying doesn't really scare me. I'm just hoping to kill Naraku before they get me…"

"So, what you're saying, I believe, is that if it comes between choosing your side or Reikai, we shouldn't fight Reikai," Kurama summarized.

"Yeah. You work for them. I'm not having any more people die because of me. I need to go work out some aggression," she sighed, standing up.

Yusuke quickly followed, and so did the others. Both Genkai and Yusuke took stances in front of Kagome, who took a defensive stance instinctively.

"You need to hit both of us," Genkai stated.

"And you can't use your youki, and you can't let either of us hit you," Yusuke added.

"And if you don't hit us both in twenty minutes, you have to do two hundred push-ups," Genkai finished, making Yusuke's eyes bulge.

"I wasn't thinking of any time limit."

"It's fine," Kagome said quickly. "I do better under pressure."

"I'll keep the time," Kurama said from the side. "Begin," he said at the same time he started a stopwatch.

The two took off in different directions, and Kagome quickly spread her aura to watch one while she physically followed the other.

Genkai lunged at her the second she took off after Yusuke, and the two started a painful dance of evading. Every time Genkai punched at her, Kagome would slide out of its path and swing her own attack. As they pushed each other back and forth across the grounds, Kagome felt Yusuke coming. At the last second, she dropped and rolled backward, making sure both would be in front of her.

She then launched forward, using a helicopter-kick to attack them both.

They easily dodged, and Kagome then spun so her momentum carried into a fist. It hit Genkai, sending her back a few feet.

"Nicely done," she said, smirking. Kagome found her hand smoking from the impact that her hand had received from the coating of energy Genkai had formed at the last second, but quickly ignored it.

She charged at Yusuke once more, now completely focused. They quickly fell into step with each other, each blow being met by a quick block. The effort Kagome was throwing into each attack was much greater than last time, the knowledge of her disappearing time spurring her on.

"Hey, you're energetic all of a sudden!"

Kagome wordlessly continued her attacks, slowly backing Yusuke into a corner. Unfortunately, he seemed to know that, and sent a roundhouse kick toward her side. Kagome quickly slid aside and attempted to sweep him only to be met with a knee coming toward her head.

She swore under her breath as she pushed backward, making herself barrel-roll out of the attack's path.

As soon as her momentum stopped, she crouched and lunged, her hands clenched into tight fists. She faked Yusuke into blocking with the first strike and immediately followed through, knocking him to the ground.

"Excellent," Kurama said. "Unfortunately, it was one second over twenty minutes," he added, killing her good mood.

"It's a big improvement," Yusuke said to cheer her up. "Your body's almost normal, I think. When you started training, you _couldn't_ hit me. Now it only took you over twenty minutes while Genkai was involved."

"I know," Kagome sighed.

"It doesn't save you from the push-ups, though," Genkai added, making Kagome groan.

"I'll get right on it," she said before lowering herself to the ground. She started the exercises and found that nobody was moving away.

"Not that I don't trust you, but you're not getting out of it," Genkai said, sitting down.

Wordlessly, Kagome got back to the push-ups. As it turned out, doing two hundred push-ups was a physically exhausting feat, even for a demon. Though, if she were allowed to use her youki, Kagome knew it would be a lot less exerting.

As she finished the last push-up, she fell to the ground, panting.

"It's been far too long since you trained with me, Kagome," Genkai sighed.

"It's not like I got lazy or anything. Most of the time, I was using my leg muscles in the Warring States. I barely ever had to use my arms."

She slowly got up and started walking back to the temple. Just before anyone got inside, the foreboding from before came back full-force and everyone froze.

A fast-approaching youki had the entire group tensed, and then a mass of fast-moving whiteness came into view. Kagome gasped as it quickly descended, spiraling out of control. Just before it hit the ground, she recognized the mass and ran toward it, forgetting her previous exhaustion.

She reached it right after it hit the ground with the painful _thump _of a body hitting the ground from high in the air.

Blood slowly leaked over the mass, which seemed to be a huge feather, in a stream. The ground around it soaked red as Kagome walked onto the feather.

The group reached her to find Kagome holding a naked and profusely-bleeding demoness. Long black hair formed a curtain over her body, though it didn't hide the hundreds of gashes all over her. What wasn't covered in blood or hair was a pale, ghostly white. Her chest rose and fell with labored breaths, and the youki coming from her was immense. Had she not looked so ghost-like, Kuwabara and Yusuke would have most likely been embarrassed that she was stark naked.

"Who's she?" Kuwabara asked, taking in the way that Kagome was gently lifting the woman up curiously.

"A rather powerful demon, it seems," Kurama answered, observing the woman's immense youki.

"She got through the hag's wards on that thing," Yusuke said, eyeing her warily.

Kagome quickly took the woman's vitals, and she blinked in confusion. She'd only remembered _after _starting to take the woman's vitals she didn't _have _any. But, for some reason, she _did_.

"He gave you your heart?"

The woman's unfocused red eyes found Kagome and she weakly nodded.

"Dying," she panted. Kagome looked at the various wounds littering her body and finished lifting her.

"No, you aren't. Where's Yukina?" she asked, waiting for an answer from anyone in the group.

"She's in the temple," Kurama finally said.

The woman leaned close to Kagome and whispered, though every demon present heard it.

"He… knows…"

And then, the woman went limp and Kagome was quickly walking across the grounds to the temple, not caring about the blood that was now covering her.

She found Yukina making tea, and the koorime instantly stopped when she saw all of the blood.

"Wha-!?"

"Can you heal her, Yukina?" Kagome asked quickly.

After a reluctant nod, they went to the guest room, where Kagome was staying. Without caring for the bed she was sleeping on, Kagome put the woman down and let Yukina get to work.

"What could have done this?" her quiet voice asked. "There are a lot of wounds, but there's also poison in them… What happened?"

"And who the hell is she?" Yusuke asked.

They then noticed Shippo in the corner, staring at the woman with huge, fear-filled eyes.

"K… Kag…" his small voice stuttered.

Shippo appeared to be trying to get as far from her as possible and that had the others concerned.

"Who exactly is this demoness?" Kurama asked.

"Right now, it's not important. If she lives, I can tell you, and if not, then it'll just be one more person that died because of me."

Kagome knelt down next to the woman, who was having obvious problems breathing. Her red eyes focused on Kagome, a scared expression on her face.

"Momma? Why is she-"

She turned to find Shippo trying to hide from the woman, and sighed.

"Shippo, she won't hurt you. I'm here to protect you."

His fear seemed to subside a little at that, and he straightened somewhat.

"All these wounds… Even most demon would not survive," Yukina said as sweat beaded her forehead. The woman wheezed and her eyes snapped shut.

Kagome closed her eyes and gently put her hand to the woman's forehead. A large power slowly seeped out of her and after a minute, it receded while Kagome began to pant.

"I can't do much, but the wounds should be easier to heal without the miasma…"

"Thank you," Yukina sighed. Slowly, the remaining wounds started to seal, and Kagome sighed in relief.

"Why is Shippo so scared of this woman?" Kurama inquired, bringing her attention away from the woman.

"She fought us a lot in the past," Kagome sighed.

"And can I assume, based on the strong reaction he had, that she is in some way related to this Naraku person?"

"Not anymore," she said quietly. Her eyes surveyed the woman's slightly darker body.

Red eyes slowly opened and focused on Kagome.

"Are you alright?"

She took a minute to think about that and slowly, her head nodded, though it was weak and appeared to cause her pain.

"Why did he return it to you?" she asked. The woman's eyes seemed to clear slightly of the pain as she spoke in a pained, quiet voice.

"He… found out."

Nobody understood exactly what that meant, but from Kagome's solemn expression, it obviously held some weight for her.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered, appearing as though she was holding herself from crying.

"Don't concern yourself," she replied, though it apparently caused more pain.

"If you're here… Does he know where you are?"

Panic was in Kagome's eyes now, and the group was having a difficult time following along.

"No… He threw me away... I let the wind carry me…"

"How did you get through Genkai's barrier?" Yusuke growled. The woman's eyes rolled as she took in his appearance, apparently not impressed.

"A friend of yours, Kagome?"

"Yes, he is," Kagome said, frowning. "You need to stop talking. Rest. I'll figure something out while you heal."

With a sigh, the woman's eyes slid closed and quickly, Kagome exited the room, along with everyone else.

"Okay, who the hell is she!?" Yusuke barked. "Someone obviously tried to kill her."

"And you said she's with the demon after your life," Hiei added.

"No, she _was_. I think the wounds should be enough of a way to make her excommunicated," Kagome sighed.

"What's her name?" Kuwabara asked.

After a long minute of silence, Kagome sighed.

"It's Kagura."

"She's part of Naraku," Shippo added quietly.

"And why the hell'd you save her if she's part of whoever wants you dead!?" Yusuke growled.

"I owe her a lot."

"Why? Didn't you say she attacked you?" Kuwabara asked.

"I hope it's not for some dimwit-like reason," Genkai added.

"She was there, in the castle," Kurama guessed.

"Yes, she was."

"Well, it makes sense, if she's with whoever is after you. Other than Reikai," Yusuke sighed. "Please don't tell me you befriended her 'cause she brought you food or something while you were there."

"No, that's not it. The simple fact is that I'd be dead if she hadn't been there," Kagome growled…

A/N:

Miasma- poison

helicopter-kick- When you jump into the air and spin so you can kick with both legs in two different directions, making you look like a helicopter rotor.

Well, there's chapter 3! I told you the drama would start in this chapter. So tell me what you think! Like the fanfic so far? How was the drama of Kagura's introduction? What do you think of my character development so far? Any thoughts at all, positive, negative, or indifferent, I'd love to hear people's opinions on my work!


	5. Past Events

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, YuYu Hakusho (As much as I'd love to) or any of the anime/manga characters.

Warnings: Mild Language, Violence

Past Events

"What are you talking about? You make it sound like she was protecting you or something."

Kagome glared at the ground, spreading her aura to keep an 'eye' on Kagura.

"Alright, I don't like reliving my stay there, so I'm making this quick," she said quietly. "While I was turning into a demon, she kept me alive long enough to complete the transformation."

"You still haven't told us how you became a demon," Kurama pointed out.

"As I've said before, it's not important," Kagome sighed. "I can't make myself human by undoing the process."

"How did she help you?" Keiko asked, bringing Kagome's attention away from Kurama.

"There were a lot of demons that wanted to kill me in that castle. Because of the Shikon, or because I was a miko. It didn't really matter, they wanted to tear me apart… And they would have. I could barely move, and I was in too much pain to defend myself… That's why I owe Kagura. She killed them to keep me alive, though I don't really know why."

"Why would an enemy save you?" Kuwabara asked, scratching his head.

"I really don't know… But before I ran from the Sengoku Jidai, it had been almost three months since she attacked our group, and she wasn't there when Naraku… She isn't an enemy, I think. She only ever _really _tried to kill us once, and she was almost killed. After that, it seemed like it was more of a hassle than anything for her."

"So, she's not exactly an enemy?"

"Well, that's before I got back. I don't think I can call her a friend per se, but she saved my life in that castle for three days."

"You keep mentioning Naraku, but you haven't told us anything about him," Yusuke said, watching the look of anger that appeared at the name's mention.

"I really don't want to go into his story," Kagome said, her eyes glued to the ground.

"What the hell'd this guy do to you, before capturing you?" Yusuke said, oblivious to her rising anger. It diminished slightly when her child crawled onto her lap, a reassuring smile on his face.

"Yusuke, you should probably stop talking," Botan said, eyeing Kagome with caution.

"That's a rather interesting sword you have," Kurama said, changing the subject. At this, Kagome brightened, obviously grateful for it.

"It's called the Tetsusaiga."

"How did a human miko obtain such a weapon?" Hiei asked, surprising the rest of the group. He was rarely curious, and he had barely spoken two complete sentences since Kagome had arrived.

"It belonged to someone important to me, and they gave it to me when they died…"

There was a large amount of sadness in her voice as she'd spoken, and everybody noticed, including the children.

"It has quite a strong youki inside. Your friend must have been powerful," Kurama said, gauging her reaction.

"He was. He even killed Naraku, though he somehow revived."

"The owner of that sword was the inu hanyo, right?" Botan asked, bringing a proud smile to Kagome's face.

"Yeah. The sword that can slay a hundred demons with a single stroke. That's what they called the Tetsusaiga, because of an attack it can use called the Wind Scar."

"The Wind Scar?"

"Yeah. How the attack works is kind of simplistic, really. Only a demon with human blood can even touch the sword, so most wouldn't be able to. Only hanyo, or me."

"The thing shocked the hell out of me," Yusuke grumbled.

"Really? Sorry about that… Anyone that it sees as a possible threat in any way gets the effects of its barrier. I never experienced it, but a friend of mine back in the Sengoku Jidai told me its shocks are really painful… So, you would have to be a hanyo with some form of animal demon as a parent with a strong sense of smell. Wolf, dog, cat, I would imagine anything like that…"

"And how does the attack work?" Keiko asked, curious.

"Originally, the youki in the blade reacted with the enemy's youki, creating a sort of 'scar' in the air. Strike the scar and a massive wave of energy is released, causing massive destructive damage."

"Quite an attack," Kurama said, making sure to remember to be wary of the sword.

"Hold on. You said 'originally.' It works differently now?" Botan asked.

Kagome, while feeling pain at the memories of Inuyasha, was almost to the point of bliss that the group was asking about something relatively harmless and not painful to her.

"It does… About two years ago, we ran across a demon that had slaughtered an entire village. We thought that, because of its size and slow movements, it was just a brutal, mindless demon that had killed for no reason other than instinct. But it turned out it wasn't brutal, and it _definitely _wasn't mindless… Inuyasha attacked it as soon as we found out it was a demon created by Naraku. Goshinki, the demon, caught the sword in his mouth. And, as though it weren't even there, snapped the Tetsusaiga in half with its teeth."

"He was scary," Shippo said, his small body shaking in Kagome's arms.

"If it was snapped in half, how is it still that strong?" Kuwabara asked, having gotten chills at the brief few seconds that the sword had been unsheathed.

"It's not 'still' that strong. Inuyasha took the sword to its creator, and with the help of one of his own fangs, the sword was re-forged. Unfortunately, because Inuyasha had been relying too much on his father's fang, his own was incredibly heavy. He had a hard time swinging it more than a few inches. So, we went to slay a demon that Inuyasha's father had sealed named Ryuukossei."

"The dragon?" Hiei asked, surprised out of his stoicism.

"Yeah," Kagome said, noticing that the apparition was _obviously _embarrassed at the outburst. "All Inuyasha had to do was stab the demon and let Tetsusaiga drink in its youki… But Naraku beat us there, and the dragon was brought back to life. It was a brutal fight for Inuyasha, but in the end, he won. And, by killing the demon, he unleashed a new attack called the Backlash Wave. Because of it, the Wind Scar started to swirl around Tetsusaiga's blade, and Inuyasha could use it whenever he wanted…"

"So he could just swing his sword and release such a dangerous attack?" Kuwabara asked.

"Well, yeah… It's a powerful attack, but Naraku was strong enough to form a shield against it eventually… It was really quite a challenge. Every time Naraku got stronger, Inuyasha did as well to beat him, and then Naraku would find a way to be even stronger… With the last of his strength, Inuyasha killed Naraku. Somehow he's still alive, though…"

"How'd you get the sword?" Yusuke asked with confusion evident in his voice.

"Inuyasha… he gave the sword to me right before he died…"

With that, the questions stopped and the group sat in silence for a while. Suddenly, there was a pained gasp and Kagome disappeared…

**Kagome POV**

I reached Kagura's room to find her writhing in pain, though she had no wounds. I gently grabbed her shoulders, willing her to wake up.

Deep, scarlet eyes slowly opened and focused on me.

"Are you alright?"

"Alright isn't the right word," she sighed. "But I'm alive. Thanks to you," she added.

"How much did you hear?"

A small smile formed on her pale face before she looked up at the roof.

"Enough to know that you aren't afraid of me."

"Well, you _did _save my life."

"I don't really know why…"

I looked at the confused frown on her face, and sighed.

"How did he find out?"

At that, her eyes widened, and I felt the rush of fear that hit her.

"Kagura, he's not here, and he doesn't know where you are," I said, trying to calm her down. "How did he find out?"

The fear was replaced by anger, and I watched in shock as her peaceful-appearing face tightened with hatred.

"Apparently, he put a Saimyousho in your cell. And it watched me kill those weaklings. He told me after you got away. I acted as though I'd done it out of boredom, which may have been true. But about two days ago, I slipped up."

"Kagura… I am _so _sorry…"

"Why?" she asked, surprised.

"He did this because of me," I said, unable to keep the anger from my voice.

"He did it because he's a psychotic bastard that doesn't give a damn," she bit out.

"I know. But if it weren't for me-"

"I wouldn't be alive, if that's what you can call it, if it weren't for you."

"While I mean no offense to you, if it weren't for me, things would be better for everyone. None of my friends would have died and you wouldn't have had to suffer like you have. My family would be alive…"

"Why not just use the jewel to bring them back?"

"I can't," I sighed. "It would be a selfish wish, and my soul would be trapped inside of the Shikon until someone at some point destroyed the jewel. And while I don't fear damning my soul to bring my loved ones back, I'm afraid the impurity of the wish would affect them in some way when they came back…"

"That sucks. Tell me something, though. Why didn't you wish when you first completed it?" Kagura asked, apparently feeling better.

I looked at the ground, the bad memories hitting me hard.

"To be honest, I thought that, as long as I had the jewel in my possession, I wouldn't have to worry and Naraku would just give up… I was painfully wrong…"

As I finished talking, I noticed that Kagura was beginning to pant and I put my hand to her forehead. Though there was no smoke coming from her skin, her skin felt as though there should have been.

Quickly, I looked out the window and could feel a nearby water source. I released my power, not caring that I hadn't shared it with the others. Water lifted through the air in a powerful torrent and I pulled it through the window, making it a thick coat around the sorceress's body.

"Hang on," I said as the water was hit with a strong wind and froze. Slowly, the heat of her body began to disappear as the ice was melted down.

I gingerly touched her forehead to find that it was still on fire, but not white-hot any more.

"What was that?" she asked, her eyes wide in surprise.

"I've been practicing," I said, smiling slightly. "Not that I'm you, but I found out that I can sustain a small amount of control over air when I first got here. I remembered how your youki moved when you attacked, and after some training, I got to be able to do some similar attacks."

"I see… Quite impressive, for a human," she said, eyeing me warily.

"I'm still a miko," I puffed out. "I could see auras even that first time you showed up, but on a lot smaller scale."

"I remember. Your hanyo nearly blew me apart," she said, glaring.

"That was almost four years ago," I sighed. "And that was the only time that he really tried to kill you, because it was the only time you really made any attempt at him," I added defensively.

"True," she sighed. "Why do I feel so hot?"

More water came through the window at my call, though at a much smaller scale this time.

"I don't know. Your injuries are healed, though your energy's still almost gone. If I had control over my miko qi, I could heal you better."

"It's been nearly three weeks and you still haven't regained control?" she asked, her curious tone stopping me from yelling a response.

"No. I've been learning to control my youki so it doesn't kill me, but I haven't figured out how to use my miko powers again. Yet."

"I'd thought that you had gotten control over the youki, considering how you escaped," she said, staring up at the ceiling.

"Hate's a very good motivation. I was building that up the entire time I was there after I finished transforming."

She apparently didn't feel like following that with a question about a miko feeling hate, for which I was grateful.

"You know, despite the pain, I somehow felt right saving you," she said suddenly, surprising me. "I have no idea why, but for some reason, I didn't want you to die."

I sensed someone standing at the doorway, but opted to ignore their presence as long as possible.

"If we're on the topic of things that don't make logical sense, your pain's one of the top items on my 'Why I should kill Naraku' list, right after the slayer village, Kohaku, and Inuyasha's death."

"You actually have a list?" she asked, incredulous.

"Well, not literally. Just a whole lot of reasons."

"As you currently have no family left, I suggest you run."

I saw the seriousness in her expression, and heard the serious tone of voice she used, but I couldn't help but laugh. Her reaction was a heated glare.

"Sorry, sorry. It's just that, after everything he's done, I can't let it go. It's my duty, as the one that gave him the power he has, to end his existence… And I do have at least some family left."

"Really?"

"Two sons and a daughter, as well as a cousin."

"Ah, those children with your group," Kagura nodded, apparently remembering them.

"Yeah… I never thanked you. For saving Kohaku and the others…"

"Don't thank me. I do what I please, and what pleased me was to piss off Naraku."

"Still… They'd be dead if you hadn't intervened, and for that I'm grateful beyond words."

"The miko still died," she retorted, as though my thanks was an insult.

At that, I shut up. I knew when I'd been outwitted, and bringing Kikyo up was a _very _sore subject.

I suddenly became more aware of the presence at the doorway and sighed.

"What, Kurama?"

"It's not my intention to interrupt you, but there's someone here for you."

At that, I spun around.

"Who?"

"She says she is a descendent of someone named Onigumo. She has quite a strong youki."

As soon as the word 'Onigumo' had left the fox's mouth, I vanished from sight, moving through the building quickly and finding a tall, black-haired woman with pale skin standing by the stairway.

"Are you Kagome Higurashi?" she asked as soon as she spotted me.

Quickly taking a look at her aura, I felt a strange sense of wrongness, but I couldn't place it. She _did _have a powerful youki, but that didn't make it evil. Her aura, however, had dark splotches throughout it, as though red and black paint had been thrown over a white backdrop. And there was pure, malicious evil in her eyes. That's usually a good warning sign.

"I am. And you're leaving," I bit out, making her smirk.

"Oh, don't be so quick to throw me out," she said, looking around. I then noticed that there were only four auras nearby. Mine, hers, Kagura's, and Kurama's, though that technically made five counting his spirit.

"Don't think I can't beat you if you try to attack me," I said, glaring at her.

"Oh, I wouldn't dream of it. I was simply sent to retrieve my dear sister, who my father misses so dearly."

I took two steps back and the wind began to whip around me.

"Leave or die. Your pick," I said pointedly.

"Oh, you won't do anything. Not with the knowledge that there's no help coming to your rescue and Naraku knows where you're hiding now. I have to say, that's quite a treat. I got here by following my dear sister's aura, and found _two _brilliant gemstones to take back with me."

"Something the matter?"

Her eyes narrowed at Kurama, who had appeared behind me.

"Oh, look, a fox. But then, you always _were _partial to the canines, weren't you?" she added, making my eye twitch. "How many does he make? Three and a half?"

Her eyes were dancing with amusement as I felt my claws growing.

"No wait. He's just an Avatar… I guess that combined with that other weakling, that would make three, wouldn't it? A dog, a wolf, a fox, and another dog. Quite the bitch in heat, aren't you?"

Her eyes widened as I launched, my claws heading for her throat. She quickly spun under my arm and I found a sword at my throat.

"Oh, be nice. By the way, I'm Kagehime," she said, a sadistic sneer on her face as she dug the blade into my shoulder, missing my throat because I spun away too fast to hit it.

A/N:

Cliffhanger! Sorry, it took so long to get this out, but things kept coming up. That being said, I enjoyed writing this one a lot as a stress reliever, and I like the result. Sorry for the late update; hopefully will have the next chapter out soon.

Be sure to review!


	6. Kagehime

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, YuYu Hakusho (As much as I'd love to) or any of the anime/manga characters.

Warnings: Violence, Extreme Gore, Strong Language

Kagehime

**Kagome POV**

I quickly pulled back, not letting her finish her fatal strike.

"Oh! You seem to move better than when you were in the dungeon."

She suddenly vanished and I found the sword at my throat again.

"Not quite 100% yet, though, huh?"

A massive burst of wind shot outward from my body, knocking the sword away and letting me spin around.

"I'm fast enough!"

A leg swung out and she quickly flipped over it, raking a long, slender, blade-like glove over her right hand down my arm. Blood slowly trickled to the ground as she landed, smirking.

"Really? Care to try again?"

"Hey, Kurama, where is everyone?" I asked suddenly.

"You were having that chat for a while. Yusuke and Keiko went out on a date. Kuwabara left to do homework for his college. Lady Genkai and Yukina went out to get supplies for the temple, and Hiei took off. I stayed because Youko said he felt that something interesting would happen if I did."

"Damn fox," I sighed.

Kagehime was taking in our conversation with amusement, and I used my distraction. Without warning, I swung my claw forward. It almost sliced her throat before she caught my wrist and, with a spin to add momentum, threw me so I hit right into Kurama.

As I shakily stood up, I looked down to find Kurama glaring at her.

"You okay?" I asked as I gave him a hand up.

"Nothing a little time won't heal," he sighed, dusting himself off. "Rose Whip!"

A rose suddenly appeared in his hand and, as soon as his youki hit it, it turned into a long, spiked whip.

"Ooh! The fox has a pretty flower!" Kagehime mocked.

Without another word, Kurama attacked with an incredible speed. The time that we'd fought, he'd obviously been holding back. Quickly, he lashed his whip dozens of times so fast and in such a quick succession that I couldn't completely follow them. The incarnation backed up quickly, dodging each strike with apparent ease, and blocking the ones she couldn't with her sword.

I watched as a long, slender crease formed in Kagehime's forehead, and it slowly cracked open to reveal a dark, slanted red eye. Power flowed from it and Kurama's onslaught suddenly froze mid-motion.

"Bad fox," she sighed. And then, the eye pulsated with power and Kurama was thrown back. Hard.

He hit the ground with a loud _crack _and I could tell immediately that he was unconscious.

"Honestly," she huffed. "So rude. Now then, where were we?"

I swung my arm and my claws launched through the air, apparently surprising her enough to hit her.

"Ouch," she growled, holding her bleeding shoulder. "Does that mean you're at the top of your game?"

"No, but I'm good enough!"

My claw lashed out, aiming for her throat. As it got within a few inches, a massive flare of power flowed out of her and my arm froze.

"What!?"

An evil smirk formed on Kagehime's face as she reached toward my throat. I couldn't hide my surprise when she gently stroked my cheek, my reaction making her smirk widen.

"Oh, I don't think I can give you to master just yet. You look entirely too tasty to not have a sample."

I glared at her as her hand slowly began to move down my cheek, followed by my neck, until it rested just over my breast. Her dark, slanted red eyes were shining with amusement at my angry reaction, though the amusement didn't meet her frown.

"Tell me, is Kagura alive, or was coming in here after her a waste? Answer honestly."

"Bite me," I growled, making her smirk vanish.

Another flare of power engulfed her before hitting my throat like a punch.

Quickly, my air supply shut off and I found that I couldn't move as my vision grayed.

She slowly began to move her hand back up to my face before grabbing my chin, forcing me to look eye-to-eye with her.

The choking sensation vanished and after several body-shaking coughs, I gasped in all the air I could take.

"Now then, is Kagura alive? Tell me and I'll release your body somewhat. Don't and I'll take away your air again."

"Don't make me laugh! The second you let me free, I'd tear your throat out, and you know it."

Her smirk reappeared at that.

"Let's test that theory. In three seconds, your air supply will be cut off. If you hit me before then, it won't be."

My muscles suddenly became flexible again, and without a second's hesitation,  
I continued my claw's arc toward her jugular. And I hit it. Or at least, I should have. Instead, mere centimeters from the vulnerable flesh, my hand hit a solid wall of youki coating her, keeping her from my reach.

And then, searing pain hit me again and I fell to the ground, clutching my throat as my oxygen left me again.

With a sadistic laugh, she reached down and petted my head as I tried to breathe, though I failed.

"Something wrong?"

Slowly, my body started to relax, and I realized the truth of the situation; I was dying. Just before I let myself go, the choking sensation completely vanished and my vision slowly cleared.

"Ah, now that's interesting."

I looked up to find Kagura standing at the temple doors, panting, with her fans open and in front of her.

"Dance of the Dragon."

With a swipe of her fan, several long, spinning tornadoes shot through the air toward Kagehime.

Just before they hit, the incarnation lifted her arm. And the tornadoes vanished.

"Oh, please! You're not the only one that can control wind, _sister_," she said, smirking. "You should know that attacking without gauging me is a deadly mistake."

And then, a massive twister began to spin around her arm, making a massive wind that whipped the ground around her.

"Kazekiba."

The wind spun into a long, blade-like edge around her hand, and I jumped up.

"Not likely," I said before swinging my own hand. It hit the wall of wind around her and the wind dispersed, causing her to snarl.

"What the _hell_!?"

"I can control wind, too," I said before swinging my leg upward. As it hit her head, she was launched backward through the air before smacking face-first into the ground.

As she tried to get back up, I ran over to Kagura, who was panting for all she was worth.

"Kagura, you need to rest. Your energy levels aren't high enough yet."

"I'll be fine," she bit out, though the effort to say it obviously hurt.

A massive, fast-moving spike of youki suddenly appeared at my side and I quickly knocked it away, though it still dug deep into my arm as it passed.

"Damnit!"

Youki began to wrap around my extended pointer finger and I spun to face Kagehime, who was smirking.

"Dance of the Dragon!"

More tornadoes launched at Kagehime, who jumped away to avoid them as her wounds started to heal. Unfortunately for her, that put her right in my path.

The youki released and a massive, star-shaped mass of energy blasted forward. It smashed into her side and she flew through the air, a massive spray of blood coming from where her right half had been.

"Kagura, you really need to get back inside. I didn't save you so you can kill yourself with overexertion," I said, watching her agonized breathing with a tinge of guilt.

"I'm… fine," she panted out as her legs started to shake.

"Kagura, can you seriously just-"

"Kazekiba!"

Another massive wave of air launched at me, and this time, I was too distracted to stop it. It smashed into my side and I felt my flesh where it hit being torn apart.

I crumpled to the ground, agony washing through my entire being.

"Next one won't miss," Kagehime's voice bit out.

"Dance of Blades!"

Massive sickles of youki launched through the air at the barely-standing Kagehime, who had to put a lot of effort into breaking the attacks down.

Slowly, her body began to reform as I'd seen Naraku's countless times. Despite my pain, I knew letting her heal would be very bad given our current injuries.

"Spirit Gun!"

The blast tore free from my extended finger and I was suddenly very glad Yusuke had taught me how to use it. It hit the regenerating tissue and the wound on her body got bigger.

"That's irritating," she growled as her flesh began to repair itself again, faster this time.

I shot another wave at her only to watch it disintegrate. And that's when I realized how much blood I'd been losing.

"Shit…"

My knees gave out and I watched in horror as Kagehime completed healing.

"That hurt, you little bitch," she growled, her eyes bleeding red. The eye on her forehead widened and pure terror gripped my throat, making it hard to breathe again.

She slowly walked across the grounds, wind whipping everything in her path away. Finally, she reached me and I found myself being lifted by my throat from the ground.

"I don't like pain when it's me that's feeling it," Kagehime growled out. "Beg for forgiveness, you bitch."

The pain was quickly making the darkness in my vision fade, and I glared at her.

"I wouldn't beg you for anything, you bitch," I bit out, making her snarl.

"Wrong answer!"

Her empty fist shot out and I couldn't hold in the scream of pain that came as it smashed into my wound, bringing a new wave of pain and blood to my senses.

"Want to change your mind?"

"Fuck off," I gasped before her claw around my throat tightened, knocking away my air supply again.

"Wrong again. I wonder if you'll keep up the defiance for much longer? If I get much more pissed off, I'll take you to my father instead of playing with you first."

She relaxed her grip and I gasped for air.

Youki began to fill the area and out of the corner of my eye I saw Kagura building an attack of wind.

"Oh, my sister doesn't seem to like me torturing you… Curious, isn't it? Now I'll ask you one more time," she said, pressing into my throat to emphasize my point. "Beg for my forgiveness."

I glared at her, staying silent to keep her distracted. Saliva began to build in my mouth, and without hesitation, I spit. Just as it met the edge of my lips, youki filled the spit and then, it hit her face. With a scream, Kagehime jumped back as the acid burned her skin away.

"Thank your dad for that," I said before smashing her stomach with my knee. I then jumped back and Kagura's attack launched, tearing Kagehime apart, save for her head.

"You fucking bitch!" Kagehime roared. In horror, I watched as a massive tower of youki sprang around her head. The sky above began to glow red and with a growing sense of terror, I watched as her body was rebuilt almost instantaneously.

"You'll pay for that, sister," she growled as the wind around her picked up to a houl and the entire surrounding area took on a red tinge. "Kazekiba!"

A massive, twisting, spiked vortex of red-tinged, youki-infused air ripped through the air, heading straight for Kagura, who was panting and seemingly incapable of moving out of its path.

Seeing the attack head toward her, I made a choice then and there, which greatly affected my future.

Despite the searing, white-hot agony that jolted through my body the second I even started to move, and got increasingly worse as I continued moving, I didn't stop after my decision had been made.

Before I knew it, I was pushing every bit of my available energy, both youki and miko, into my legs. I reached Kagura a second before the attack and an agony so pure that I was fairly certain I'd instantly died racked my body as blood exploded around me. I smashed into the ground and, with a pitiful whimper, felt strips of skin falling from me as I rolled.

"What!? She _saved _you!? Father _clearly _hasn't told me everything, since her previous wounds shouldn't have let her even move. And she's _still _alive!" she barked, apparently seeing my chest rise and fall, though my breathing was labored and, I was nearly positive, quite useless.

I felt her youki approaching, and Kagura's moving to intercept her.

"No more interruptions, you bitch!"

Another explosion went off and Kagura's youki flew through the air before a loud, painful _thud _sounded near me.

Kagehime finally reached me, letting her slow, deliberate steps terrify me and shorten my life. I could barely make her kneeling form out through the agony-caused white haze that was my vision.

"Not that I expect you to be able to answer, but I'm curious. Before I kill you, I really want to know. Why'd you save her though you _obviously _knew that you would be more than likely to die because of it?"

The question brought a small smile to my face, though the strain on my muscles made me gasp in pain. I experimentally opened my mouth, intending to answer the question so I could at least die pissing my enemy off.

"She saved my life, and I owed her… And, for some reason, I just couldn't let her die… Tell that bastard that I died along with the jewel, and that he will _never _win."

A small smile formed on my face at her snarl and then, she brought her foot into my bleeding and _very _heavily injured side, where I'd received the biggest concentration of the attack.

The pain sent a new wave of clarity through me as I screamed, and I could see her standing above me, her three blood-red eyes glaring down at me. As she pulled her foot back, I found it covered in blood.

"Then your death was truly in vain. Kagura is alive enough to be tortured for a good, long time by father, thanks to you. And with my Jagan eye, I can easily pull the jewel's location from that pretty little head of yours," she said before a cruel smile appeared on her lips.

The truth to her words brought a realization to my mind. By all logic, the attack that had hit me _should _have ended my life. But it hadn't. And the only way something so full of youki could have failed in killing me, as wounded as I'd already been, was if some kami saw it fit for me to live at that moment. That thought, whether a delusional idea brought about by blood-loss and massive trauma or an epiphany brought about my will to attack again.

"I'm going to kill you," I bit out, glaring up at her.

"Oh? And how's that?"

Another swift kick to my side brought another scream, and I began my attack, feeling reiki engulfing my entire being.

"Spi…"

My vision was getting darker by the second, and I knew on an instinctive level that if I didn't finish the attack, I was going to be giving Kagura back to the torture my original failure had brought about in the first place.

"What's that?" she mocked, seeing me struggle for the air I could swallow down.

"Spi… rit… Ref…"

"Huh?" she asked, kicking my side. My vision went completely black for a split second, and my panic started to rise. The blood-loss was starting to jumble my thoughts, and that was bad.

"Spi… rit… Ref… lect… ion…"

"Sounding kinda' weak there, bitch!" she said while laughing maniacally.

Luckily, anger is a good motivator. Despite the pain it caused me to move, I grabbed her ankle. Without caring, I let the 'leash' on my power go. And the release of my power shook the ground around us. In her shock, she didn't think to knock my hand away, and I smirked, albeit bitterly.

"Spirit Reflection Blast!"

The energy in her body was ripped free and pulled into my body before returning as a massive attack. She was flung clear of the temple grounds as, with a pained gasp, the world around me turned black, the last thing I felt several strong auras coming toward us fast…

A/N:

There's chapter 5! I LOVED writing this fight scene. And putting the entire thing in Kagome's POV gave me the ability to truly describe it. Sorry for those writers who don't like 1st person, but I wanted to tell this scene in a more personal way to bring about the emotions of the fight.

Kazekiba- wind fang

Kagehime- Shadow Princess


	7. Recovery

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, YuYu Hakusho (As much as I'd love to) or any of the anime/manga characters.

Warnings: Gore and Strong Language

Recovery

"You felt it, too?" Kuwabara asked as Yusuke, along with Keiko and Hiei, appeared, running toward Genkai's. From a third street appeared Genkai and Yukina appeared, also running.

"Felt it? It was like a huge freakin' nuclear explosion!" Yusuke barked.

"Yes, quite," Hiei sighed, obviously hating the need to agree with Yusuke in insulting the oaf.

"My radar didn't pick anything up, though," Yusuke sighed. "I could feel the energy, but I have no idea who it belongs to."

"I wonder which energy you're referring to, dimwit," Genkai said as they all converged into one group, running through the forest around Genkai's.

"I don't know any of them, but there's a weird wind blowing through the entire city. Think that demon bitch did something while we were gone?"

"Perhaps," Genkai sighed. "But don't forget what _wasn't _felt."

Yusuke looked at her blankly, causing Genkai to sigh.

"She means the fox, fool," Hiei said as he began moving through the trees.

"It would take a lot to incapacitate Kurama, wouldn't it?" Yukina asked, her eyes wide with worry.

"I don't know what you're all going on about, but I felt Kurama, for a few seconds," Kuwabara said, surprising them into slowing down.

"What? Did that bitch somehow manage to take Kurama down? She was having a hard time _breathing_ when we left!" Yusuke growled, making him shrug.

"I felt four energies. Then there were three, and with that huge explosion, there are only two, but one's so weak that whoever it belongs to is either almost dead or on the way to it. The other's stronger, but not by much…"

"We need to hurry," Genkai said before taking off with a speed so far above a human's that Yusuke found himself, not for the first time, wondering if his 'master' was part demon. The rest quickly followed, and they were shocked at the sight before them.

All around them, there were massive gouges through the ground, as though a massive explosion had went off at various places. The air was so thick with youki and reiki that Yusuke found it slightly hard to breathe.

At Keiko's gasp, his attention went to the temple. Or rather, what was in front of the temple. A body, barely covered in flesh and drenched in blood, was lying face-down, black hair making her face obscured. Around her body, the energy was condensed, as though it were alive and waiting to attack. The ground all around her was drenched in blood, and Yusuke's demonic nose let him tell that it was part human.

Yusuke took off, the others close behind as he stopped next to her.

"Who… Who is that?" Keiko asked, her voice hesitant and scared.

Reluctantly, Yusuke reached down while everybody else gathered around. As he gently brushed the hair away, there were gasps of shock and horror throughout the group at Kagome's face, drenched almost completely in blood.

That's when Yusuke took stock of her injuries, and he abruptly released the contents of his stomach out on the ground. Her entire body was covered in massive, bloody gashes. And only half of her still had intact skin, combined. The worst wound of all, though, was her right side.

Whatever had hit her there had done such immense damage it was a wonder that she was even managing the occasional, pained pants that she did. Where skin had been not too long ago was now a bloody mass of destroyed tissue and bone.

"Oh… Oh my god…"

Yusuke, unable to look at his friend, looked around the temple, seeing the others now.

Further toward the temple, Kurama was face-down, though he appeared to be untouched other than a small trail of blood underneath him that started a few inches away.

Leaning against the temple doors was the wind witch, her body covered in blood that was obviously Kagome's. Her eyes were closed and she was panting as blood slowly leaked out from the multiple wounds covering her body.

Jumping to the wrong conclusion, Yusuke stalked across the grounds and lifted her by the hem of her robe, causing her to gasp in pain.

"What the fuck did you do to her!?"

Her red eyes slowly opened, and then they slid toward Kagome. As soon as the wind witch's eyes fell on the girl, tears began to fall from her eyes and her body started to shake for reasons other than her pain.

"Oh god…"

"Hey!" Yusuke yelled, bringing her attention back. "What the hell'd you do!? There's a lot of youki around her, and a lot of it's yours! Those injuries are a lot like something a person could do with the power to make tornadoes!"

So quickly that Yusuke didn't react, she swung her hand up and pushed him back. She fell to the ground, her eyes cast downward, though Yusuke didn't know it was because of shame, and not guilt.

"Hey! I asked you-"

A pained scream filled the air and Yusuke forgot the witch, rushing toward Kagome, who was clutching her side.

"Yukina, heal her. Quickly!" Genkai yelled. "I'll help. You too, dimwit," she added before the three knelt down by Kagome, who was thrashing around in a pain-filled blindness.

Yusuke hadn't missed the small note of hysteria in the stoic woman's voice, and so he didn't hesitate to use every ounce of energy available to him to help heal her.

After a full minute of exerting their energies, the three fell back, not satisfied with their results but unable to continue.

At least the wound in her side was slightly smaller, though the damage was still immense. The previously broken bones were now realigned and not in danger of falling out of Kagome. But healing the multiple broken bones in her body was something that had taken all of their energy, and she was still missing essentials; water, blood, and skin.

A scraping sound brought their attention to Kagura, who was staggering toward them as blood slowly drenched her legs. In her hand was a sword, its static electricity burning her hand as she came closer.

"What do you think you're doing?" Yusuke growled, standing up and taking a defensive stance in front of Kagome.

"Shut up," she bit out. "Move."

"Not a chance in hell," he growled, pointing at her. "If you take another step, I'll blow you to hell."

"You can't do anything to me. I'm already dying. But her wounds are because of me, and I'm not dying with an unpaid debt. This damn sword should help her…"

That's when Yusuke noticed the black smoke coming from her hand and the trembling through her entire body.

She finally reached the group and winced as pain shot through her body once more.

"You're not getting anywhere near her," Yusuke growled, though he was half-convinced that she couldn't even make the distance on her own anyway.

"There are three youki here. Mine, hers, and that bitch's. I'm not the one that did that to her."

Kagura had taken another step forward and suddenly found his finger pressed to her forehead, a massive power filling the air around it.

"I told you that you're not touching her."

Just then, the Tetsusaiga pulsed and Kagura threw her head back in a scream as massive jolts of electricity coursed through her. The electricity cut off and she dropped to her knees, gasping for air as smoke rose from her blackened arm.

She'd fallen in a way that she was inches from Kagome, and she quickly put the sword in her open grip, wrapping her fingers around it. The pain shut off in Kagura and she fell limp on the ground, panting as even more of her small amount of remaining youki was spent healing her wounded arm.

Energy pulsated through Kagome's body and the group watched in shocked awe as, very slowly, the energy coating her changed and became flesh, beginning to armor the miko's body.

With a pained gasp, Kagome's eyes shot open.

A groan left her body as electricity slowly engulfed her, and then her wounds were healed even further.

"What the hell's happening!?" Yusuke barked, aggravated by his helplessness.

"Just… get her to her bed," Kagura panted before falling into a coughing fit that left the ground underneath her scarlet.

There was a grunt and the group watched as Kurama stood up, shaking his head to clear the daze he was obviously in.

"Kurama, you alright?"

"Yes, no wounds to anything but my pride," he said, brushing the dried blood off of his shirt, where there was what appeared to have been a large, ragged cut but was now a slightly pink line.

"What the heck hit you?" Kuwabara asked, looking at the wound and imagining what it had been like when open.

"The wind, oddly enough. With a touch of the Jagan."

At that, Hiei's eyes widened.

"The Jagan?"

"Yes," Kurama sighed. "A strange woman showed up and attacked Kagome. I interfered and was knocked unconscious because of it. I'd imagine I missed quite a show, if the energy around her is anything to go by…"

His eyes fell on Kagura and he quickly walked over to her, kneeling at her side.

"You didn't exactly help the situation, you know," he said in a scolding tone, earning him a glare from the deathly-pale demoness.

"Bite me, fox. I helped her better than you did."

At that, the effort to talk finally hit Kagura and slowly, she fell limp.

Upon seeing his teammates' questioning gazes, he shrugged.

"Perhaps it would be better to take them to a better place for healing."

"The onna looks as dead as when she showed up on that feather," Hiei observed.

"Yes, well, I'd imagine something interesting happened after I was taken out of the fight… Now then, let's get them inside so we can discuss what's happened."

Yusuke gently lifted Kagome off the ground, getting a pained whimper in response, bringing a terrified look to the detective's face.

"I think that the witch will be better off unmoved," Kurama said as Hiei started lifting her.

"Why's that?"

"She's a wind sorceress. Out here, on a windy day, she will most likely regain strength faster if someone just watches over her to ensure no further damage occurs. As Lady Genkai and Yukina will be healing Kagome with Yusuke, that leaves us to keep anything unsavory away."

"Not likely," Hiei growled. "Whatever demon was here, this bitch has the same stench."

"Yes, she said something about being her sister," Kurama sighed. "As it is, we need to keep her alive. Either she's an ally or a prisoner, depending on her allegiances, but she _did _use almost every ounce of the youki that had returned to her to fight against the other one in order to protect Kagome."

Yusuke carried the miko into the guest building while the three men take a position to watch the wind witch, who was slowly enveloped in a bubble of wind.

None of them noticed the three sets of large eyes staring at them, horror filling them…

Eight hours later, Yusuke fell unconscious where he stood, having used every ounce of non-necessary energy to heal Kagome. The children were staring wide-eyed at their mother.

"The dimwit's done," Genkai sighed. "Perhaps you should take a break, Yukina."

The koorime stepped back, her energy flow cutting off. She gave a grateful nod to Genkai before leaving for her own room.

After eight hours of constantly releasing their power reserves to heal Kagome, she was still deathly pale and the wound in her side was still open, though less so than before. Even with the Spirit Wave's healing abilities and Yukina's natural powers as a koorime, they had only barely managed to seal off the bleeding all over her body. The skin, for the most part, was covering her body once again.

But the fact that their immense combined powers hadn't been able to seal the wound on Kagome's side bothered Genkai. She wasn't as weak as the dimwit with the energy reserves, but even the powerful psychic was weakened.

"Is momma okay?" Shippo asked, his voice shaky and clearly afraid.

"No," Genkai sighed. "But she won't die. After everything we did, it's up to her to finish the healing, but she probably won't be able to move for several days, at the least. You can stay in here with her, but don't try to wake her up, got it?"

The three children nodded enthusiastically and Genkai quickly vacated the room…

With a low grunt, Kagura rolled onto her side and stared up at the sun, her pain slowly lessening to a livable amount.

Carefully, she tested her muscles and found that, with a lot of pain, she could move everything. Slowly, she rose from the ground, finding three sets of men around her instantly.

"I guess I've outstayed my welcome, then," she sighed before pulling a feather from her hair.

"We can't let you go anywhere," Kurama sighed.

"I can't stay here. Kagome's got real allies, so there's no point in staying here."

A sword suddenly materialized at her throat, drawing a glare toward the apparition.

"It's not your choice, onna."

"Not to antagonize," the redhead sighed, "but can you even use your powers with the depletion of youki that you're currently suffering with?"

"As a matter of fact, I can't, until I heal," she growled out. "But at this point, me being here's going to be a pain in the ass for you bunch of boyscouts. Naraku's new whore will be back for me, if not for Kagome. I can't do anything to fight her."

"Obviously you can do something," the redhead countered.

Kagura glared at the fox before pulling an elaborate fan from within her destroyed robe.

"This is my weapon."

With a practiced flick of her wrist, Kagura opened the fan, and Kurama's eyes widened at the numerous holes covering it.

"I wrap my youki around it and when I swing, I can create attacks from the wind around me. I can control wind without it, but it's a big pain in the ass without a medium to channel it. I destroyed it trying to beat that whore. And I failed. So I can't do anything to fight her if she returns."

"I can fix that," a new voice said, drawing all of their eyes to one of the children.

"Oh? And what do you know of spiritual mediums, Kohaku?" she asked bitingly.

"When I got back to sister, she taught me everything I could ever need to know," he said with a cocky smirk. "I can fix that fan of yours. Consider it repayment for before."

With a 'hmph', Kagura tossed the destroyed fan to the boy, who caught it with ease and walked into the temple.

"How exactly do you know that boy?" Kurama asked, having noticed something strange during their conversation.

"Doesn't matter."

"You are from the Sengoku Jidai, yes?"

At that, her eyes narrowed.

"And how did you come across that information?"

"Kagome told us," the redhead returned with a shrug.

"Did she? If she told you then you must know all about me. Or at least, who I came from."

"We only know that the demon after her is a male hanyo named Naraku, but that was the basic information we had before we were sent to bring her out. The only thing we've learned is that the demon's from the Sengoku Jidai, but she doesn't talk about any of it. It's rather frustrating, having to listen to an old boyfriend as her topic of choice."

At that, Kagura raised her eyebrows.

"She's told you about Inuyasha?"

"Yes, but even with the great detail of him, she's been vague. It's rather difficult to know anything, as we don't want to hurt her for information."

"Speak for yourself, fox," the apparition sighed. "I wouldn't mind cleaning my hands of the troublesome onna."

His eyes widened as his response was laughter from Kagura.

"Something amusing, witch?"

Instantly, she sobered and her eyes took on an amused glint.

"You think _you _could kill her. Stronger demons than yourself by far have attempted and failed. I highly doubt you'd be able to do much, and whatever you managed would be your final act."

"You speak from experience?" Kurama asked, catching the hint of disdain in her tone.

"Not personal experience, but I've felt what that sword of hers can do, and I'd imagine it's even more potent in her hands. But I've seen many demons fall to her and her powers."

"Yes, well, that's all very interesting, but you're forgetting something. At the moment, she's unconscious from blood-loss and powerless. You are one of the two, without your medium. Any thoughts now?"

"I've seen her kill without being conscious," Kagura said with a shrug. "As her enemy, I feared her. As I am now, neither enemy nor ally, I find her powers to be just as impressive. Even with youki sealing her miko qi, she managed to knock a demon stronger than myself away."

"Hn."

The apparition slowly sheathed his blade, his eyes locked with hers.

"You don't scare easily. That's good. It'll make getting information much more fun."

"It's not my information," she said with a shrug before she heard a distant, loud gasp of pain.

"I believe that Kagome's going to need something similar to her nearby for the next few hours. Her youki's replenishing, but as she can't be outside due to her wounds, she will heal much too slowly, if that bitch takes after Hakudoshi."

"Another of your… _siblings_?" Kurama asked, seeing the line of her jaw tighten in anger.

"He was. Long ago. If you'll excuse me…"

With that, she walked right through the two-demon wall and staggered toward the guest house…

The sharp scent of demonic blood hit the nose of the unconscious detective and immediately, he was up. What met his eyes shocked him.

The wind witch was kneeling next to Kagome, a pained expression on her face. Her arm was extended and seemed to be pressing against Kagome's mouth, which seemed to be moving of its own accord. That's where the smell of blood was coming from.

"Oi! What the fuck are you doing!?" Yusuke barked, starting to run at the surprised wind witch.

"You should relax," she sighed as he began to draw energy into his fingertip. "I'm speeding up her healing process."

"Like hell! You're making her drink your fucking blood!" he growled, preparing to pull his mental trigger.

"Correct. My blood, as a demon with wind youki, will heal her, who also has wind youki. The sword and you humans can only do so much."

"There's no fucking way! You and whatever demon was here before are related, and I don't trust you, bitch. Step away from Kagome."

"If I do, her healing will stop. As it is, that bitch's mark is still gaping wide open even after all of your help. But it's getting there," she said, pointing at the wound on Kagome's side, which was now incredibly better looking.

"Wha-!?"

"It's my youki. It's reacting with hers, which is speeding up the healing process. Should I stop in the middle of this, her healing will take twice as long because the youki will need to calm down before healing her."

"That's bullshit! I don't know what you're doing, but giving her blood isn't going to heal her."

"Shut up, dimwit," Genkai sighed. "Your voice is so loud it woke me up from a good dream."

"Yeah right, you hag!"

"Perhaps now would be an opportunity to learn Kagome's story, as the demoness there seems to be incapable of moving at the moment."

At that, Kagura's eyes widened before a small smirk appeared.

"You're perceptive, human. But I told those simpletons outside, and hopefully you can get this. Any information you're looking for isn't mine."

"Not quite true," the fox said, appearing at the doorway. "You have a part in her story. As it is, whatever we learn can be used to protect Kagome, and she's currently in no state to tell us. So any information you have would be important."

The demoness's dark red eyes glared at the fox, hating that it made logical sense.

"Why do you even care?" Yusuke asked, bringing the glare to him. "You're related to her enemy. Why in the hell do you even care about her safety or privacy?"

"To be completely honest, I'm not sure," she said with a shrug. "It wasn't this way in the past. For some reason, I _do _care, but I don't know what that reason is…"

"Regardless, if it's true that you care about her safety in some way, you should tell us what you can."

"I'm not your captive that you can make me do something," she bit out, glaring at them.

"Until you can move, you basically _are _just a captive. You're sticking around until Kagome wakes up, and then we're going to figure out whether you're an enemy or not."

"Aren't you a psychic, hag?"

Genkai smirked at the demoness's strained words.

"Odd that you call me a hag when you're several dozen decades older than me."

"Whatever. So, as I've obviously got no way out at the moment, ask away. If I feel like answering, I will."

At that, Kurama launched into his interrogation mode. He quickly started his rapid-fire questions.

"Who's Naraku?"

"A Hell spawn created by an arrogant human making a pact with a horde of bloodthirsty demons."

"How are you related to him?"

"He made me. He calls us his 'children' but we're really just a bunch of freaks created by his DNA and the Shikon."

"How many has he made?"

"I don't know, and I don't care. I was the first, I think. He made me to test Inuyasha's power."

"Who attacked Kagome?"

"The bitch's name is Kagehime."

"Family problems?" Yusuke sneered, earning him a glare.

"Shut up, hanyo. I've tried getting out, several times. The only person left that can kill that bastard's currently drinking my blood to heal. The rest of them died five hundred years ago."

"How can we be sure you're not poisoning Kagome with your blood?" Kurama asked, which brought a growl from Yusuke.

"She's lost too much blood as it is. Do you think I'd be stupid enough to give her tainted blood?"

Before Yusuke could respond, Kurama clamped a hand over his mouth, effectively cutting off his insult.

"What kind of demon is Kagome?"

"Not a question I'm going to answer. It's her business."

"Very well… Who was she traveling with in the Sengoku Jidai?"

"A rather strange bunch. A demon slayer who got along with demons, a perverted Buddhist monk, that kit pup that's listening in," she said, allowing a small smirk to form as she saw a blur of orange that quickly vanished outside the room. "The demon slayer's brother, and her hanyo, Inuyasha."

"She told us about his travels fighting Naraku. How did this Naraku fellow kill such an extraordinary group?"

"Heh. He used what he did best. He set a rather elaborate trap to separate her from her friends. That's all I'm going to say on her past."

"Very well… I guess the rest of my questions on her past will be saved for when she awakes… So, what exactly happened outside?" Kurama asked, his curiosity showing.

"Kagehime," Kagura sighed. "That bitch gets on my nerves."

"So I've gathered," the fox said wryly. "I was asking what happened, not who did it."

"Well, after you were taken out of the fight, I woke up feeling panicked. Not something I'm used to, so I followed it to the source. I found Kagome being choked to death by Kagehime, and I cut her control long enough for Kagome to get up. She knocked that bitch down a few pegs, that's for sure," she said, smirking.

"You don't seem to have problems with her beating your sister. That's a good thing," Kurama sighed.

"I'm not exactly a willing part of that bastard, and now I'm not part of him at all. So, Kagome beat her, and then she ran to me instead of doing the smart thing and killing her. She was too distracted to see another attack coming until it was within her range. It ripped her arm apart, but that didn't stop her. I distracted Kagehime and Kagome used an attack that was on par with the hanyo's sword. It blew apart half of Kagehime's body, which is where a lot of the blood outside came from."

"Kagome did that?"

"It would make sense, Yusuke. You taught her to use the Spirit Gun, and it would make sense that she would attempt a more powerful version against an opponent that had already wounded her badly," the fox said, sighing at the detective's excitability.

"She used that, too… But only after her body was hit by a massive blade of wind…"

"There's a rather odd tone of sadness in your voice there. Or guilt. Something on your mind?" Hiei asked, having appeared so suddenly that everyone but Kagura, who couldn't move, jumped.

Kagura stared at the wound on Kagome's side, which had healed considerably since she'd started talking.

"The reason she got that damned wound was that she was distracted trying to make me go back inside. She hit that bitch with everything she had, and almost died more than once because of that, and that she kept coming back after every single hit. Naraku gave her the power to heal everything short of being completely obliterated in one move. For someone who was human, Kagome is definitely not someone that gives up easily…"

"What happened before Kagome finally beat Kagehime?" Kurama asked, dreading the answer.

A small, humorless laugh escaped Kagura before she winced.

"That stupid bitch was so pissed that Kagome managed to hurt her. Kagome'd lost too much blood by that point and her attack to stop the healing broke down. Kagehime regenerated and was torturing her, repeatedly hitting the wound in her side. And still, Kagome didn't 'beg for forgiveness' like Kagehime wanted. So, she started choking her again. Kagome and I knocked that bitch away, destroying everything but her head, and then… Kagehime attacked me."

As soon as she said that, the unexpected happened. Tears started to roll down her face as she stared at the wound, which was even smaller than before.

"She used her attack in a massive concentration of youki that was meant to destroy me, who has a body built like hers… And that's how Kagome's body was almost ripped apart. She jumped in front of it to save me. She went to kill Kagome after she saw her breathing, and I got in the way. I lost consciousness when she threw me into that temple, but only for a few seconds. When I woke up, she was gone and there was an incredible amount of power in the air."

Kagome winced once again, and the scent of blood in the air slowly faded as she found the ability to move again.

Slowly, Kagome's eyes slid open to find the entire room staring between her and a panting, and oddly enough, _crying_, Kagura.

"Did I miss something?" she asked, seeing the looks of shock on the room occupants' faces…

A/N:

There's chapter 6! I'm sorry for the recap of the past chapter, but I wanted to tell the story from Kagura's perspective as well, and I couldn't do that in a few sentences. Either way, I loved writing this chapter, and hope you enjoyed reading it as well.


	8. ReCapture

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, YuYu Hakusho (As much as I'd love to) or any of the anime/manga characters.

Warnings: Strong Language

Re-Capture

"You're awake?" Yusuke asked, clearly surprised.

"Well, obviously… Why wouldn't I be?"

Kagome's confusion slowly faded as memories rushed to her mind.

"Never mind… How am I alive?"

The sight of Kagura crying near her was unnerving, but Kagome's mind wouldn't let her focus on that until after she found out what had happened.

"We healed you," Genkai said simply. "You're lucky that we showed up before you died. Using as much power as you did, it's really a miracle."

Kagome heard the hidden message in the old psychic's voice and sighed, her eyes downcast.

"I'm not going to apologize for using all the power necessary."

"You could have ended it quickly with that sword," Genkai said, surprising the other occupants of the room with her angered tone.

"I couldn't have. It was inside and I wasn't. Had I gone for it, your entire home would be destroyed. But I'm getting really sick of not having my sword with me when I need its power, so I'm going to come up with something."

"Don't act like the dimwit and go off to do something stupid," Genkai warned, having sensed Kagome's bitterness.

A small smirk formed when Kagome saw Yusuke's scowl, but she quickly stifled it.

"I don't have enough energy to do anything stupid right now," she said before her eyes slid shut. "Would you guys mind if I went back to sleep?"

She could hear the occupants leaving the room, and quickly noticed who wasn't. After waiting a while to make sure everyone was out of earshot, she turned her head to Kagura and slowly opened her eyes.

"What's wrong, Kagura? You're not hurt, are you?"

At that, the wind witch was snapped out of her revelry to look up at Kagome, her eyes red in an unusual way.

"I'm not hurt," she said bitingly. "I'm pissed off."

At that, Kagome took in the witch's slight trembling and sighed.

"If you'd been on the top of your game, you could've beaten her," she said offhandedly, making Kagura's eyes widen.

"No, I couldn't. I could've distracted her better, but I can't beat her. And that pisses me off. The strange feelings I'm having because of you are pissing me off even more, though."

"Strange feelings?"

Kagura glared at the ground, gently rubbing the back of her hand across her watery eyes.

"You almost killed yourself getting in that bitch's way to protect me. I'm an enemy. Humans don't do that for their enemies. Even the most pacifistic demons wouldn't get in the way of that attack. And my confusion's pissing me off."

"You shouldn't be confused. You're not an enemy, and after what you went through to help me, I don't think you really see yourself as one, either."

"Being part of that bastard _makes me _an enemy," she bit out, her tone so full of self-loathing it was heart-wrenching.

"Kagura, I took that attack to save you. That's not something I'd do for an enemy."

Upon seeing the skepticism in the woman's eyes, Kagome sat up, hiding her wince at the sudden pain that arose from the wound in her side.

"You saved my life in the castle, I saved your life now. I knew that attack was going to kill me, and I took it anyways to save you. Do you want to know why, Kagura?"

The witch held her breath as Kagome looked at the blood leading to her bed.

"I did it because I didn't want you to die. You got here with severe wounds to begin with, and I didn't want you to die. I felt really strongly about it. I'm not sure what it was, but an instinct told me not to let you die, and my instincts have never been wrong before… I don't know if something changed in _you _when you saved me in the castle, but in my eyes, you went from being an ally against Naraku to something bigger."

"And when did I become an 'ally against Naraku', exactly?" Kagura asked, her ire rising.

"Well, when you brought us to that stone oni to kill Naraku was a good thing."

"It was a trap, in which you almost died," she reminded Kagome.

"You didn't know that. Not your fault that he's had more time to learn the art of scheming. And then, there was when you protected Kohaku. And the time you tried to save Kikyo, even though you denied it. And-"

"I get your point," Kagura sighed. "So then, I haven't been an enemy for a long time, huh?"

"Not even close," Kagome said with a smile. "Kagura, I know you don't want to go into it, but I have to ask," the miko said, her voice strained. "What did Naraku do to you before you escaped? The wounds you had were an awful lot like the ones I had."

"It hardly matters. Assuming I'm not longer a part of him, then what he did to me to get to that point is worth it."

"Kagura, you have your heart. I can't imagine him giving it back to you unless he really wanted you to die in pain. I want to know what he did to you, Kagura."

"What he did to me is the same as what he did to you, but he didn't want anything but screams of pain from me before I died. He got pissed when I didn't give him any."

Kagome reached slowly outward and gently placed her hand on the witch's trembling shoulders. The trembling stopped as she looked into Kagome's eyes.

"You realize he knows where we are now, right?"

"Yeah… You realize you said 'we' right?"

Kagura smirked at that.

"He wants me dead, and your information. 'We' is the right word right now."

"Then we're in it together," Kagome said with a smile. "I don't want to sound like a sappy human or anything, but I _want _to be friends with you, considering how few people I have left I can count on."

"Heh… It seems like you've got plenty, with all the people willing to kill me because they thought I was the one that hurt you."

"What exactly happened while I was out?" Kagome asked, curious now.

"They got there after you beat her. I was the only one around with youki, so that friend of yours naturally jumped to a conclusion. I _do _smell like her, after all."

"You didn't hurt Yusuke, did you?" Kagome asked, surprising Kagura with her honest concern. The surprise quickly left her as she threw back her head in a laugh.

"I was only barely better off than you, Kagome. I don't think I could do anything to him until I got some strength back… Why do I find that so funny?"

"My guess is your heart," Kagome said, smirking at the confused look on the witch's face. "With your heart comes emotions you've probably never felt."

"Emotions, huh? Sounds like a pain."

"Yeah, at times," Kagome said, her smile fading. "I'll be honest. Emotions can outright suck at times. Demon or not, you're going to be suffering because of it. But more often, they're a good thing. It's what makes us intelligent beings. At least, that's what Miroku told me once."

"That monk was an interesting one. So they're a double-edged sword, huh?"

"Yeah… Not trying to get girly here, but I loved Inuyasha. That was the reason I was so deadest on fighting Naraku when he hurt him. It's why I came into the castle looking like I did…"

"I'm aware of that, Kagome," Kagura sighed.

"Well, anyway, back to the original topic. Emotions will be a bad thing at times, but more often than not, they're good. So, we're in this together. That sounds really good. I'm going to get some sleep so my energy comes back, and you should do the same. When we're awake, we'll figure something out."

When the two woke up, a massive flood of power filled their every orifice. They both sat up, smirking.

"So, the wind really is like some kind of generator for anyone with wind youki?"

"Yeah," Kagura said as she stretched.

"This is incredible. I feel so energetic. Better than when I was training with Yusuke."

"Oh… That might be my blood doing that," Kagura said, looking at the door. "I fed you some to heal you faster."

"Really? Thanks. I'd say that's disturbing, but after the things I've seen, nothing really gets to me."

"I can tell," Kagura said as they headed toward the door, Kagome hastily getting dressed before following the witch. And tied to her belt loop was the Tetsusaiga. She was _not _getting caught without it again.

"Any ideas come to you while you slept?"

"One," Kagome sighed. "I don't like it, though, so it's out."

"An idea that has you squeamish? I'm interested, now."

"Maybe later," Kagome said as they walked into the temple, where everyone was assembled. Kagome refused to acknowledge the cold, dark feeling of multiple beings watching her as she moved.

"You're up?" Yusuke asked, unable to hide his surprise.

"Yeah. The wound's gone," she said, lifting her shirt slightly to show where the fatal wound had once been.

"Damn! That youkai blood's no joke with healing!"

"So, did anything happen while I was asleep?"

"Demons have been all over the forest, stalking the grounds," Kuwabara said, looking at said forest.

"And they're not little wimps, either. There's a _lot _of power out there," Yusuke added.

A strange sense of dread suddenly filled Kagome, and she quickly extended her demonic senses. What she found furthered her growing panic.

"Has anyone seen the children?"

"Kohaku was in here for a while. Otherwise, they haven't been inside since you were asleep," Kurama said, obviously noticing what Kagome was trying to hide.

"Oh… Well, I need to go get some exercise… Be back in a bit," Kagome said before vanishing, everyone's eyes following her as she left.

"What got into her?" Yusuke asked, thoroughly confused.

Kagura sniffed the air and quickly walked to a table, finding her fan, pristine and as perfect as before Kagehime'd shown up.

"Kohaku said that he fixed it back to perfection. Rather smugly, I might add," Kurama said as Kagura lifted the fan.

"I'll have to go find him and humble myself, then."

Kagura quickly walked to the door, and was on the way out when she was stopped.

"The demons are powerful, and they seem well-organized. Make sure Kagome doesn't do anything to reopen any remaining wounds," Kurama sighed.

"Will do."

And then, Kagura too was gone…

**Kagome POV**

I walked into the woods, the scent of my children burning my senses. I found the end of the trail in a large clearing, with the three bleeding on the ground.

"Oh, look! The bitch showed up!"

Suddenly, two demons were on either side of the children, who were trembling, though Shippo was also glaring at them.

"Which one of you made them bleed?" I asked, cutting to the chase.

"Oh, that'd be me, sweetness," the larger and, if appearance was anything to go by, dumber of the two said, a long, jagged blood colored scarlet in his grip.

"How lucky for you, then. I'm not hurt anymore, and I've got energy to burn."

A cocky smirk formed on his lips as his human appearance vanished. Tanned skin became the color of coal as his ears grew pointed and a large set of fangs formed in his mouth, which was slowly widening into jaws. His green eyes became a deep, dark shade of scarlet as he glared at me.

"You look tasty," he said, the smirk on his jaw giving me chills.

"Yeah, well, I'm too tough for you to try to eat."

"Oh? We'll see," he said as he ambled forward. Of the two, the other was obviously the more dangerous. Everything from his aura to his human disguise screamed it.

Whereas the man lumbering toward me had appeared big and creepy as a human, the other appeared normal. Slightly slanted brown eyes, light, pale-appearing skin, short black hair covering his forehead, and a small, almost weak-looking build made up his disguise. And his youki was filled with horrible, dark, choking bloodthirst and hunger.

"You should've brought those demons with you, little lady. Some stupid hybrid can't do much against _two _A-Class demons!"

"Tell me, if you wanted me, why'd you bring them out here?" I asked, indicating my trembling children.

"We knew their blood would bring you here. While you were on that hag's property, we couldn't touch you."

"Well, aren't you just geniuses?" I snapped sarcastically. "What say you let me take them, and I won't kill you?"

At that, the demon threw back his head, shaking with laughter.

"_You're _going to kill _us_!? That's hysterical! You barely have any youki! I'm going to teach you a lesson, bitch," the demon said before lunging.

Quickly, in one fluid motion, I grabbed his wrist and spun. As his hand snapped and the sword fell, I quickly hit the back of his skull with my elbow. He dropped to the ground, unconscious.

"You too?" I asked the other demon, who was watching in amusement.

"I'd rather not have any surprises," he said before three more demons, more powerful than the one on the ground, appeared.

Quickly, I dodged between them and moved to my children.

"Alright, hurry back to Aunt Genkai's, quickly," I said to them. The three looked up at me and I smiled encouragingly.

"I'll be right behind you."

At that, they stood up and took off, their wounds far less serious than the amount of blood I smelled warranted.

"Sorry, but I'm not really in the mood to waste energy on idiots."

With that, I drew the Tetsusaiga. Its beautiful golden light as it transformed in my hand distracted the demons long enough for me to end both of them with one quick, nearly invisible slice. They fell to the ground in pieces and I quickly followed my children, completely aware of the numerous youki surrounding me. Each youkai had a power that rivaled Naraku's power in the Sengoku Jidai. But that thought comforted me, somehow.

The trees above me shook and I saw Kagura appear, running right next to me.

"Fifteen demons in all. Plans?"

"Well, I don't want to waste too much energy on them. They're strong, but Naraku's stronger now, by far. Do you want majority?"

"I'd be glad to take them," Kagura said before flicking her fan open.

"Thanks. I need to get the children back."

With that, I took off, feeling Kagura's aura spreading throughout the entire forest. For a split second, I felt pity for the demons that were now trying to fight her. And then, it was gone…

**Narrator POV**

The children came out of the forest and ran up to the temple. Before they got there, power crackled and sizzled the air and suddenly, a small army of men appeared.

"Who are you?" Shippo asked the biggest one in a shaky voice.

The tall man smiled cruelly at the kit, making him back up to the older boy.

"My name's not important to children who are going to die."

The older boy stepped in front of the other two, pulling a long blade attached to a chain from under his clothes.

"You won't touch them, you bastard."

"Such a dirty mouth for such a small kid. Back down and die quietly," he said before power filled the air. "For disrupting the time stream, you three are sentenced to death!"

A large wave of power launched toward the children only for it to be knocked away inches from them.

In its place was a woman with long, flowing black hair, wielding a massive blade. Long fangs were revealed in a snarl directed toward them.

"Take another attempt at them and I'll kill you," she bit out, her eyes bleeding red as she glared at the man, who was smirking.

"Oh? And what's a wimpy little demoness going to do to stop me?"

"I suggest you don't try to find out," Kagome growled threateningly, stepping back so she was close to her children.

"There are fifteen of us and one of you. Step away, bitch, and _maybe _we won't kill you."

"Oi! What the hell's going on!?" Yusuke growled, appearing from the woods at a breakneck speed.

"Ah, the detective. Were you aware of these children being here?"

"Yeah. What about it?" he growled.

"They're related to the miko you were supposed to capture a month ago. Where is she!?"

"How the hell would I know?" he growled. "I already told you bastards that she wasn't in the castle."

"Then how did her filth end up on your radar?"

"What did you call them?" Kagome bit out, suppressing a growl with plenty of effort.

"Filth. It's what they are. A kitsune pup that acted like a son to a stupid, demon-sympathizing whore of a miko that has unstable powers, the brother to a demon-befriending slayer, and someone who treated a dog demon like a father. It's sickening!"

All three children were beginning to cry and Kagome's eyes turned completely scarlet.

"Back away and leave. _Now_," she bit out, her voice strained.

"Or what?"

A large twister of youki engulfed the sword in her hands and she stared at the man with an unnervingly unblinking glare.

"Or you'll die where you stand. Your choice."

"Insolent bitch! You," he barked, pointing at a group of five more men, "kill them!"

The five moved unhesitatingly and everyone present stared with wide eyes as she swung the blade down. Youki launched forward and the five were instantly destroyed, nothing more than ash as the energy disappeared.

"Now leave, or it's you next."

"Take that bitch!"

The other nine men charged and suddenly, the Tetsusaiga untransformed. With a growl, Kagome sheathed the blade and lashed out with her claws.

"Get back," she barked at her children. "Kohaku, take them inside and get Genkai."

With a nod, the older boy quickly grabbed his siblings and ran toward the temple while Kagome dodged and blocked every attack coming from the nine men.

"Dance of Blades!"

Kagome quickly dove backward as long sickles of youki attacked the men, who weren't fast enough to completely dodge.

"Really, you should leave," Kagura said, her body tense as she sidled toward Kagome, fan in front of her.

"You're one of that demon's whores!" the leader barked. "Men, take her down!"

The nine formed a circle around the women while the leader walked up to Kagome.

"So, she's one of his bitches. Who're you?"

"I think you said I was a whore of a miko," Kagome said, growling. "Coming this close was a bad choice."

Without warning, she raked her claw across his chest, making a spray of blood as he fell backward.

"That's for the insult. It'll be worse if you don't leave."

"You're the miko!?"

"Yeah, what of it?"

"And you've been hiding here, under the protection of the detective?"

At that, Kagome instantly picked up on the eager suspicion in his tone and suppressed a smirk.

"Yes, but he didn't know who I was. When he got to the castle, I was already a demon, without my miko qi. So I guess coming after me was a real waste of time, huh?"

"Capture her!" the man choked out while one of the men pressed the wound.

Suddenly, a burst of power rammed into Kagome's side, knocking her to the ground next to Kagura, who had apparently been hit by the same thing.

"We're taking you to Reikai, demoness bitches!"

A hand shot into the back of Kagome's skull and slowly, her eyes rolled backward as two of the men lifted her for easy carrying. Which unfortunately dislocated her shoulders, which brought her back to consciousness for a few seconds.

"Genkai… please take care of them…"

She blacked out at a whispered affirmative answer…

A/N:

Well, there's chapter 7! Sorry for the long wait. I try to get these out whenever possible, but it's been taking more energy to focus lately on writing, though that in no way means I don't love doing it. That said, I hope you enjoyed! Be sure to review!


	9. Escape

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, YuYu Hakusho (As much as I'd love to) or any of the anime/manga characters.

Warnings: Gore and Violence

Escape

**Kagome POV**

As I woke up, I immediately knew I was in trouble. Of course, the chains rattling every time I moved and the incredibly cold feeling of ice under my exposed legs were good indicators.

Slowly, my eyes slid open to reveal that I was in a long hallway filled with cells. My eyes widened at the other occupants.

"Kagura!"

"It's about time you woke up," she said, smirking. "I was afraid you'd miss out on all the fun."

"How long have we been here?" I asked, sitting up and trying to cover my exposed flesh, which raised another question. "And why am I naked? They didn't do anything to me, did they?"

"We're not low enough to touch a kuromiko," a voice grumbled nearby, bringing my attention to the three men sitting by a large door.

"I see… So, why am I naked?" I asked, getting annoyed.

"We took your sword, and since your modesty wasn't really a concern, we used them to protect ourselves from the shocks."

"You took Tetsusaiga!?" I asked, anger quickly filling me.

"Yeah. The scientists are trying to find a way to break its barrier so they can destroy it."

At that, I stood up. Or at least _tried _to. As I was halfway into a crouch, the collar around my neck suddenly made itself known and I fell backward with a choked gasp.

"Yeah, you're not going anywhere, bitch. You killed my men."

"You're _men _tried to kill three innocent children," I snarled back, my demonic senses raising warning bells in my head. "And I think your _scientists_ will have a hell of a time replacing the people that die trying to break my sword. It's stronger than you bastards."

"Oh, we're not worried," another guard sneered, causing my lips to twist in a snarl.

"Just tell us where the jewel is and we'll give you your punishment for killing the soldiers. In a few centuries, you can be on your way," the other said before yawning.

At that, I threw back my head in a laugh, causing all three to glare at me.

"You think that _you _can get my charge from me!? You can't do _shit_!" I snapped, bringing all three from their seats. "And once I get out of here, I'm going to make sure you don't find me next time."

"Tough words. But you should know that we're only here to baby sit your friend here while you're being interrogated. I doubt you'll last long."

As if on cue, the door they'd been in front of slid opened and a tall, pale man came out, his eyes going right to me.

"Is she the one?"

"Yeah," the lead guard said, a sadistic smirk on his face.

The man walked over to me and suddenly, I was being lead from the cage, chains detached from the floor to come with me.

"Kagome-"

"It'll be alright, Kagura. Just hang tight, okay? We're in it together."

"Yeah, give 'em hell," she said, smirking.

Slowly, I was pulled inside and the chains around me were strapped to a wall.

"Well now, you look like the kind of girl who will break too easily. I like challenges," the man said, frowning. "Can you just tell me? I'd rather not stain my tools with unnecessary blood."

I looked to his right and found a table of 'tools'. The various devices made my heart speed up to triple its original speed, the multiple blades gleaming in the light.

"Those are going to be painful, for the record. They're designed to cause the least amount of damage while causing devastating pain. You won't die for a long time," the man said, seeing where I was looking.

"Isn't this Heaven? What the hell happened to angels playing harps in the clouds and the peaceful afterlife?"

"I think you're confused. This isn't Heaven. This is just where you go before you move on _to _Heaven… or Hell," he added, glaring at my red eyes.

"Thanks for the clarification. Can we just get on with this? You'll crack before I do," I said, smirking. "The weapons used to torture me before were bigger, sharper, and he wasn't afraid to put me right on the brink of death to get what he wanted. And he still doesn't know where the jewel is, after seven days of it. He made me into a demon! What can _you _possibly hope to achieve, little man?"

With a sigh, the man picked up one of the duller, thicker knives and pulled me further into the room by my chains.

"Let's find out, shall we?"

And then, without warning, he spun and I winced as the blade dug into my forearm, drawing blood almost immediately…

I fell to the floor, gasping for air as he pulled the whip back again.

"Had enough?" the interrogator barked, the numerous agonizing welts on my skin burning anew at the contact with the freezing floor.

"Ha! It's barely been a day! I'm good for a while," I said, forcing myself to stand up.

"Don't act tough. You can't move close enough to hit me, and I de-clawed you after that last little stunt," he said, causing me to smirk at the memory of his flesh giving under my attack.

"My claws will grow back soon enough."

"And that's why you're there, and I'm here, isn't it?"

And then, he cracked the whip down again, the five prongs biting into my skin and yet somehow not breaking any flesh…

I dropped to my knees, gasping desperately for air. Another bolt of electricity shot through the chains and into my pained body before the charge was gone, bringing with it a new wave of fried nerves.

"Ready to talk? While I'm impressed with your commitment, it's only been two days, and you won't last for much longer."

At that, I lifted my head, covered in the bruises of his desperation.

"Not likely. So far, you've had to resort to using your bare hands to even get me to bleed, you bastard. You won't beat me that easily!"

With a snarl, he flipped the switch again. After he'd turned the dial above it. The increased voltage actually lifted me from the ground as more of my nerves became electrified and the already-fried ones' sensitivity increased the pain. I couldn't stop the scream that tore from my throat, nor could I ignore the look of satisfaction on his face.

The power cut off and I fell limply to the ground, glaring up at him.

"Really, enough's enough. Just tell me where the damned jewel is."

"What's wrong? I thought you liked a challenge," I mocked. "What does your King even want with it, anyway?"

"It's too dangerous to leave in the hands of a human, since she might give it to a demon."

At that, I started rolling with laughter, though the pain quickly put a stop to that.

"You think I'd give it to some demon!? I became a demon protecting it and I will _die _to make sure nobody but I know where it is!"

"Ah, that sounds like a challenge to me," he said, smiling sadistically. "Should we make it level 10?"

"Go ahead, do your worst," I bit out. "Because I'll take the jewel's location with me to the grave!"

At that, he turned the dial again and pulled the lever. Sparks flew from my chains as it arched into my body. I watched as my skin slowly burned to the point of smoking, and when the energy cut off, agony tore through me, making me spasm on the floor.

A cough let blood flow to the ground, and I moved to sit on my knees, glaring up at the man, though I smirked.

"You'll have to do better…"

The knife dug into my burnt skin, slowly cutting away the destroyed flesh. As it cut, I bit back my screams. But when ice water was then thrown on the bleeding, scarred, fleshless wounds, I couldn't, and my entire body went rigid at the agony, which was greater than anything in the past two days.

"Just give up! You won't die for a while, but if you don't tell me, I'm going to have to clean your blood from my delicate tools."

I fell to the ground, whimpering as the pain filled my arms, which were now bleeding profusely everywhere but where my wrists were chained.

Closing my eyes, I silently begged my youki to give room to my miko qi to heal me. Slowly, the destroyed nerves and tissue of my body repaired itself while maintaining the illusion of the damage. The pain slowly lessened from a suicidal-thought causing agony to an irritation.

I forced myself not to smirk as I rose to my feet, the skin tearing off my legs due to the cuts he'd given me there.

"You're going to die pretty soon."

"You know something?" I asked, my claws beginning to glow.

"What?"

"I'm through with this. I'm going to kill you."

At that, he laughed, poking my chains.

"Oh yeah!? How!? You're barely able to stand upright, your body's probably numb beyond muscle function at this point, and you've lost close to a lethal amount of blood for a human! Your sword's with Koenma, your friend's in a cage, and your miko powers won't work! So tell me! _How_!?"

He brought the blade down, cutting my arm to the bone. I let loose the loudest scream yet and he laughed as blood splattered on the floor.

His laughter cut off as my youki flared, along with my fangs growing and my eyes bleeding red. As my wound healed, the illusion over the others dropped to reveal my almost-perfect form. I could see my reflection in his blade and smirked at the fear in his eyes.

"I'm a miko, and have never hated anyone," I said, making his eyes widen. "Congratulations, you're only the second!"

Before he could move, I released my power and the chains exploded. My claws sharpened and began to glow with the black energy of my hatred. And then, I moved, and the room was colored in the scarlet spider webs of his blood, splattered on nearly every surface as the chunks of his body went in different directions. And then, I turned to the door and walked through…

**Narrator POV**

Blood-curdling screams filled the mostly empty corridor, causing the only occupants to cringe.

"Damnit! That bitch should shut up already! Geez!" one of the guards grumbled.

"Well, the interrogators _do _go a bit overboard," the other sighed. "But it's really amazing, that a human can handle this kind of pain. It's been _three days_ of nothing but torture. How in the hell is she this strong?"

"Well, she's not the jewel's guardian for nothing," the third guard said, sitting in front of the only occupied cell. "You're her friend, what do you think?"

A snort was heard from inside, and the guards turned to see a condescending look on the woman's face.

"I think that soon, everyone here will be killed, at this rate. She's far stronger than you can imagine."

"Tch. She can't purify anyone, and we have that sword of hers. She ain't too tough without those."

"You'd be surprised," the woman said with a shrug. "Either way, I'm really looking forward to the havoc she'll bring with her out of that room."

"She's been in there three days, bitch. Whatever resistance she has left will be gone soon, and then she'll be begging for it to stop. She'll tell us what the King wants to know."

"I guess we'll see, won't we?"

Suddenly, the loudest scream yet filled the air and power tore free, clawing at those who dared harm their master.

The doors slowly opened and out stepped Kagome, blood covering her body everywhere and her claws glowing with a dark youki filled with malice.

"The prisoner's escaped! Kill her!"

The guards moved to strike her when suddenly, she disappeared. She reformed with her left claw through one of their throats and the other disappeared into the second one's chest. On the other side, in her clenched hand, was his beating heart, which quickly exploded when she released her youki.

The guards fell to the ground and Kagome focused on the leader, who had drawn a crossbow.

"You need to die!"

He pulled the trigger and, as the bolt flew through the air, the demoness smirked. With no effort, she reached out and caught it before it even came close to hitting her.

"You pissed me off."

Quickly, she spit in his face, surprising the man. The surprise quickly turned to screams of agony and terror as the spit became dark yellow and his skin began to melt underneath it.

"Let's get going, Kagura," she said before the lock on the cage, along with the chains holding the witch down, dissolved.

Quickly, she rose and walked over to Kagome, who had the signs of torture covering her back.

"Kagome, why'd you wait so long?"

"I was building my energy. If I didn't kill him, the whole thing wouldn't have worked. Now let's go find someone that I can scare into opening a portal for us…

As the two emerged in Koenma's office, they found the toddler-appearing demi-god locked in an argument with Yusuke. Around them was everyone else from the detective's group, as well as Yukina and Botan.

"It's not right!"

"I know, Yusuke," Koenma sighed. "But my father doesn't trust her with that jewel, and I can't do anything about it. Until she tells the interrogator where it is, she's stuck down there."

At that, Kagome cleared her throat, surprising both of them.

"I found another way out. Where's my sword?"

Koenma, too shocked by her appearance to think straight, merely pointed to the sword floating by the door. Despite the barrier around it, she simply reached inside and grabbed it, though the skin of her arm practically melted because of it.

"How are you outside?" Koenma finally managed to ask.

"I got sick of losing blood," she said, shrugging as she grabbed the handle of her sword. Slowly, she pulled it out, letting her youki flow. "Open a portal for me."

"Are you nuts!? You broke free of imprisonment!?" Koenma barked, watching as his door exploded.

A small army rushed inside, their target obvious.

"By order of King Enma, you're to be executed, miko! For your crimes against Reikai and the Ningenkai, your soul will be destroyed so the jewel will also disappear! Any last words?" the leader of the army asked.

Kagome finished drawing her blade and a cruel smirk formed on her face.

"I have several 'last words' for you."

She lifted the blade over her head and massive sparks of youki crackled along the weapon's edge, giving it a dark aura.

"I'll give you a choice. Let me go or I'll blow you all apart, along with half of this palace."

The dead seriousness in her tone made the men draw their weapons, taking aim for her heart.

"Shit, this is bad! Botan, open a portal!" Yusuke barked.

The ferrywoman looked frantically at Koenma, who was staring with wide eyes at the events before him.

"Woman, if you open a portal, you'll be aiding the escape of a criminal and will be charged with treason," a guard barked. "And all of you with the hanyo will be charged if you don't stop her!"

The youki gathering around Kagome's sword became a brilliant, black aura that flowed in a large, misty cloud around the room.

"You should've gotten to me before Naraku. Meidou Zanget-"

A massive power filled the room and suddenly, Kagome was gone, through a portal where she'd been standing. The witch immediately disappeared after her.

"What the hell!?"

"Damnit, Botan! Yusuke, I'm sending your team out," Koenma growled. "Go get her, and bring her back."

Yusuke immediately understood the way out Koenma'd gotten to, and suppressed a smirk.

"You got it, toddler."

With that, the detective, along with everybody else but the guards and the prince, were gone, the portal closed.

"Prince Koenma, you just let a traitor and the hanyo, who seems to be friends with the escaped prisoner, disappear through a portal to God knows where!" the guards' leader bellowed.

"Nonsense. The prisoners escaped, and I sent my team in after them, in order to bring them back in custody. Botan will open a portal back here for them when they catch the prisoners, because she's more afraid of the consequences if she _doesn't._"

With a growl, the guards disappeared from the Prince's destroyed office.

"Botan, I hope for your sake that Kagome can kill that demon, or we're all going to get it," he sighed before calling for repairs…

A/N:

Well, there's chapter 8! I really enjoyed writing this, and am sorry for those readers who are squeamish, but I hope you all enjoyed reading this. My next chapter will be out shortly.


	10. Welcome to Makai

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, YuYu Hakusho (As much as I'd love to) or any of the anime/manga characters.

Warnings: Mild Language, Gore, Violence

Welcome to Makai

Kagome fell to the ground, her knees shaking at the impact from the drop. Looking around, she found herself in strange surroundings. But, not sensing the people from the office, she slowly allowed her muscles to relax and lowered her sword.

A swooshing sound brought her attention above, where she saw Kagura descending from where she estimated she'd started falling. When the witch landed, she quickly moved to Kagome's side, her eyes darting this way and that.

"Where are we?" Kagome asked as she looked up at the red sky.

"The Makai."

At that, Kagome's grip on her sword once again tightened.

"How long do you think it'll take?"

"That psychic bitch probably picked our auras up the second we got here," she snarled.

Sighing, Kagome looked around. In the distance was a large light source.

"Think it's a village?"

"Probably."

"Should we see about staying there?" Kagome asked as she started moving toward the area.

Suddenly, more power formed above them and they watched as six more people formed, falling toward them.

They landed collectively and Kagura spun, bringing her fans up in a defensive way.

"Koenma wants us to bring you back," Yusuke said as soon as he shook off the impact of their landing.

"He probably doesn't want me back, because I'll destroy his palace if I'm taken back there."

"Oh, no. He said we have to bring you back. And I'm quoting him."

At that, Kagome smirked.

"Your boss isn't as dim as he looks, is he?"

"He has his moments," the detective said, shrugging. "So, where are you heading?"

"I was hoping to get some sleep so I could get my energy back. Killing that interrogator while I was in so much pain was really draining."

Kagura lowered her fans, deciding they weren't in any danger from the group.

"You should know the villages in the Makai are rather dangerous for women," Kurama said as he noticed the lights in the distance.

At that, Kagome hefted her blade over her shoulder like a certain hanyo.

"I think I can handle it."

"Then let's get moving, or those fools will show up," Hiei sighed before vanishing.

Pulling a feather from her hair, Kagura put a hand on Kagome's shoulder and suddenly, they were flying. The others quickly took off after the three.

"Beats walking, doesn't it?" Kagura asked as they soared.

"Definitely," the miko responded, watching as the ground below vanished behind them rapidly.

After a few seconds of their quiet flight, Kagura cleared her throat, getting Kagome's attention.

"The fox wasn't exaggerating about the villages here in the Makai. The Makai was formed about three hundred years ago. It took Naraku roughly four hundred to heal. I've been here for two hundred years alone. The demons are smart, strong, and they work together. Sleeping isn't going to be easy."

"I'll be alright, Kagura," Kagome said, lifting her sword. "It's not like I'll be in really deep sleep. I just need to rest to get my energy back. Besides, I trust you and the others."

"You would be wise to remember that demons that group together are more dangerous, onna," Hiei said as he appeared next to the girls, using a tree limb as a spring.

It had been five minutes since they started walking, or flying in the girls' cases, to the village. By this point, everyone present had tried to tell the miko how dangerous the demons were, and she was out of patience.

"Damnit, I'm just looking for a place to sleep for a few hours! I'm not going to make myself a target or anything like that. Besides, there are plenty of ways I can get myself out of a bad situation, and you guys need to go see if you can find anything out about where Naraku is."

"And why do you assume he isn't still in the castle?" Kurama asked curiously.

"He _never _stays where he's been found," Kagome said, shrugging.

"And you're _looking_ for him because…?" Yusuke prompted, glaring at her.

"If I don't find him, _he's _going to find _me_, and that'll give him time to plan out a trap."

"You've obviously dealt with him before," Kurama pointed out.

As they landed, Kagome glared at the fox.

"I had friends, I had miko powers that worked, and I wasn't stuck in a world that I'm completely unfamiliar with. And I'm sick and _fucking tired _of his traps!"

The outburst caused the others to jump back, surprised by the sudden spark of raw hatred in her tone.

"What's with all the noise!?" a voice bellowed from behind them. Kagome turned slowly to find a large humanoid demon leering at her.

"Oh, a bitch! It's been a while since we had some fun."

At that, Kagome smirked, though her anger showed plainly in her eyes. And, unfortunately for the demon, Kagome still had the Tetsusaiga drawn.

Without a word, she drew the blade back and a vortex of youki engulfed her and the demon. It vanished as quickly as it appeared, with the sound of a gurgled scream coming from within. Kagome stood in the same place she'd been, and the demon was still in the same place. The only difference was that the demon was now headless, and blood was rolling down from midway up the Tetsusaiga's length.

"I'm too pissed to care anymore," Kagome said, heading for the village while everyone else stood in a stunned silence. "If you see a trail of blood, follow it and you'll find where I decided to sleep."

And then, she was gone from sight…

**Kagome POV**

The hatred flowing from me was apparently enough to attract every weak demon within the village, since as soon as I got to the middle of it, there were about half the houses' worth of them surrounding me.

"Now's not a good time to piss me off," I bit out, heading for one of the walls of demons. As I moved, so did they, closing their trap around me.

"You look delicious! You can't just walk through our territory and not expect us to take a bite," one of the demons said, lust clear in his eyes.

I spun and the demon was dead, quickly and painlessly, as I severed his skull and neck. As the head rolled to the ground, I spun to kill another, and another, until the entire wall of demons was beheaded. All of this happened within the span of five seconds, and I turned to face the other three walls.

"Who's next!?"

"You bitch!" rasped another demon, youki flaring through the space around me.

"We'll kill you!"

"We'll see," I said, smirking as I began to walk toward them…

**Kagura POV**

As Kagome vanished into the village, the heavy smell of blood filled the air.

"What the fuck's she doing!?"

I turned to the hanyo, glaring.

"She's killing a whole lot of demons. While she's letting some steam go, I suggest we go in there and see what we can find about Naraku's whereabouts."

"Why the hell's she looking for him, instead of hiding?"

"It's simple. She's been working to get one goal accomplished, with all of this healing and training. She wants to bring his life to an end that involves incredible agony. After what he did to her, it's not surprising in the least."

Images flashed through my mind and I forced the bile back down that rose as I saw them with a new perspective. I didn't think I'd like emotions when Kagome'd described them, and so far I was right.

"What _did _he do to her?" the fox asked. "We were told about everything that happened in the Sengoku Jidai, except for what happened right before she was captured here. What could _possibly _have been done in one week? We need to know."

"In one day, he killed her entire family, past and present. For _her_, it was a day, anyways."

Glaring into the darkness, I could smell more blood filling the air heavily.

"She's motivated by pure hateful revenge, then," the redhead sighed. "That's dangerous. It leads to mistakes."

"You seriously underestimate her, fox," I sneered. "Even dying she beat him. Had you not shown up when you had, she would have most likely destroyed the entire castle with that sword of hers."

"So it's our fault this guy's alive?" the spirit detective asked.

"Yes," I said after a moment's thought. "Had you not interfered, she would have killed herself along with Naraku. So, it's your fault he's alive, but because of you, she is too. So thanks, I guess."

"What exactly _was _this trap that could have made her lose everything dear to her?"

I glared at the redhead before looking back at the village.

"First, we find a clue of some kind. Then, I'll tell you," I said before walking into the village…

**Kagome POV**

"So how many of you want to die quickly?" I asked, the Tetsusaiga dragging on the ground to my side.

In answer, the demons roared, and I brought the blade up. They charged and quickly, I spun, beginning my own assault.

As the Tetsusaiga cut through body after body, the scent of demon blood filled the air around me. The thick, bile-inducing scent made my mind reel and I quickly jumped away from the spot, trying to clear my head. Unfortunately, as I pulled away, another group of demons attacked and their blood sprayed onto my body, making it impossible for me to escape the choking sensory overload.

"Shit…"

"Die, you bitch!"

As the last demons attacked, my reflexes seemed to be dulled. I reacted fractions of a second too late, and as the three demons died with a stroke of Tetsusaiga, gashes opened on my chest and across my face. Pain exploded through my body as my knees gave out.

Roars filled the air nearby and, cursing my stupidity, I dug the blade into the ground. Using it as a crutch, I quickly began to move to the forest. I was vaguely aware of the youki behind me, but I didn't stop moving…

**Kagura POV**

"You know, you're quite a strange group, ain't ya'?" the tall lizard demon in the bar asked as the others ordered drinks.

I took a glance at the people behind me and smirked. They really were, though not as bad as Kagome's group had been. A hanyo, an ice maiden, a hybrid, a kitsune, a grim reaper, and a psychic. Something can be said for variety in a group, I suppose.

Youki flared outside and the walls of the bar shook from it.

"Damn! She's really in a mood!" the hanyo yelled, taking a swig of his drink.

The smell of blood had quickly grown, and I sighed. Turning back to the bartender, I let my youki flare.

"So, anything on Naraku?"

The lizard stared at me for a few seconds before shaking his head.

"No, can't say I've heard much. What's a pretty little piece of ass like you doing knowing about unsavory characters like that hanyo, anyway?"

I leaned forward, my fangs clearly showing as I let more youki flare.

"I'm looking to kill him."

"Oh-ho! We got a comedian! You don't look like you could handle a breeze! There's no way you could beat that scoundrel!"

"I can't handle a breeze, huh?"

The thought struck me as hilarious and soon I was laughing out loud. I quickly reined the outburst back in and smirked.

"That's very amusing. Let me tell you about _breezes_."

Faster than he could react, I pulled one of my fans out and swung. He was instantly pinned to the wall behind the bar, his limbs trapped by my youki. I quickly went over the piece of wood and walked up to him, my fan at the ready.

"Now, let's try this again. I don't plan on staying in this hellhole much longer. Where can I find Naraku? And, if you don't know, where can I find someone who _does_?"

"The demon that runs the inn on the other side of town might know," he panted. I shut my fan and the bartender fell to the ground with a thump.

"Let's go," I said before heading to the door. The others quickly followed, and we began heading for the inn. As we walked, I told the story of Naraku's trap…

"Kagome had a very close, very loyal group of friends in the past that she regarded as a second family. There was Inuyasha, an inu hanyo that somehow seemed stronger than even the most powerful demons. You know Shippo, Rin, and Kohaku. Rin was a sort of surrogate daughter to Sesshomaru, Inuyasha's older, full-blooded demon brother. Kohaku was the younger brother of Sango, a demon slayer who was as close to Kagome as a sister, from what I saw. And she was the wife of Miroku, a perverted monk that was cursed by Naraku."

"Quite a large group," the kitsune observed.

"Yeah. Well, Kagome and Rin were used as bait. Kagome easily destroyed the puppet holding her. She went to where the others were… but she was too late… Hakudoshi killed the slayer just as Kagome showed up, and the monk destroyed him using his curse. Unfortunately, he absorbed massive amounts of poisonous insects called Seimyousho along with the little bastard. The slayer used her dying breaths to tell her love that she'd find him again and Kagome needed to look after Kohaku."

"That's seriously screwed up," the hanyo said. With a shrug, I continued telling the memories that weren't mine.

"Sesshomaru saved her from Kanna. But, because he was distracted with the safety of his 'daughter', he didn't see the tentacles laced with miasma coming. They pierced his side and even with Kagome's healing, he lost too much strength. As a parting request, he asked Kagome, who would be the most likely to survive, to keep Rin safe and protect and love her as a daughter."

"Damn that's a lot of responsibility for a teenaged girl to get thrown at her."

"She can obviously handle it," I said, shrugging. "Inuyasha absorbed Sesshomaru's sword, then. He used it to blow apart a lot of demon puppets, as well as half of the field the trap was taking place on. The wolf tribe leader Koga showed up, then, having smelled Naraku nearby on a trip to visit Kagome."

"You say his name like he was an enemy," the fox said, eyeing me speculatively.

"Naraku had me do something that sickened me even _before _I got my heart back. He had me slaughter a massive portion of Koga's pack, and make it look like Inuyasha did it. He didn't exactly enjoy me being alive… And he died protecting Kagome's son. You know, having these emotions is really a pain in the ass. I miss being able to just wave everything off," I sighed.

"_One _hanyo killed all of these people?"

"Naraku isn't strong without the jewel, but he's a fucking puppeteer, and his traps are incredibly complex. He didn't count on Kagome's guilt, though. Because of all the people that died because of her use as bait in Naraku's plan, she lost it. Power started to rip the entire field apart, and Inuyasha moved fast. He gave the Tetsusaiga to her, and he begged her to run away with the children. They got into an argument, and Inuyasha was too distracted to see Naraku's attack. His heart was pierced, and Inuyasha used the last of his blood and youki to attack Naraku. He killed him, and Kagome ran through the well to her time, with her children."

"And then she was grabbed?"

"Oh, no. That wouldn't be enough. Naraku wanted her to suffer like he did, eating weaker demons for four hundred years to get back to his previous strength. The bodies of her family members were covering the shrine grounds. Naraku attacked her and when she defended herself, he stabbed her leg to make her immobile. Then he took her to that damned castle."

An explosive wave of smells filled the air and my head whipped around. I found Kagome just in time to see her stumble away from the village, into the forest. And there was a bright, slick trail of blood behind her.

"Look for more information on that bastard," I bit out before letting my feather lift me quickly towards her…

A/N:

Well, there's chapter 9! Sorry for the lengthy dialogue, but it got my point across. Not much else to say for this one, so as always, review! See you next time!


	11. Revelations

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, YuYu Hakusho (As much as I'd love to) or any of the anime/manga characters.

Warnings: Strong Language, Violence, Gore

Revelations

"Kagome, hang on."

The stumbling miko stopped her movements, but the sudden tightening of her muscles caused the wounds to stretch.

"Damnit."

Kagura landed next to her and quickly moved to her front. The amount of blood covering her was staggering, and even Kagura was surprised by the impressive injuries covering her face and chest.

"Damnit, Kagome!"

"All of the blood… it threw my senses haywire, and I didn't react fast enough…"

Kagura gingerly touched the cuts across her face and Kagome winced.

"Those won't heal on their own for a long time… Hold still for a second."

Without warning, Kagura leaned forward and Kagome gasped when a strange, wet warmth ran across the wounds. Rolling her eyes to see what it was, she was shocked to find Kagura _licking _her cuts.

"What!?"

"My saliva's a coagulant. It'll help close these," the witch said, running her tongue across the last of the cuts once more before pulling back. "The ones on your chest'll have to heal on their own," she said, smiling apologetically.

A bright red shade had engulfed her face and Kagome looked at the ground, her own face turning as red as a tomato.

"It'll be fine… Thank you, Kagura."

"No problem…"

Laughter suddenly filled the air and the two instantly closed in on each other, taking defensive stances.

"Isn't that cute? The whores are flirting."

The voice echoed through the forest and Kagura quickly drew her fans, Kagome's hand going to the hilt of her sword.

"This is bad. I used a lot of energy getting away from the blood," the miko whispered, her back pressing to Kagura's.

A slithering sound filled the air and suddenly, Kagome was gone, pulled into the darkness without a sound.

A tall, bone-white snake demon appeared from the forest, Kagome in his massive jaws. Next to him was a sickly-looking woman with a long, slender scythe that glowed with black energy.

"Kagura, father wants to see you," the woman said, spinning the scythe above her head. "And the whore's coming, too. He wants her jewel."

Kagome glared at the fangs clamped on her middle, beginning to glow with her youki.

"Take the fangs off or I'll break them," she growled. The demon shook with his laughter while the woman followed suit.

"Not after that little show you put on in the village. After being tortured by the Reikai, you go and use the little reserves of energy you had left to kill a horde of pathetic D-Classes! You probably can't even bring your sword out, like you are now! So just shut up and be a good little slut."

"Seriously, what the hell is it with these demons!? Do I seriously look like a whore?" she asked Kagura, who shrugged.

While the demons laughed, Kagura understood what Kagome was doing and held back a smirk.

Suddenly, the snake yelped in pain and Kagome was being flung through the air, blood covering her hand. She landed hard next to Kagura and smirked.

"You're not the smartest demon I've fought," she said, grabbing the hilt of the Tetsusaiga. "Letting your jaws loosen while they're the only thing holding me is a really bad mistake."

He hissed at her, dark red eyes focused on the miko. Suddenly, she drew her blade and it transformed in a flash of light.

"You ssssshould be dying of poissssssson!"

"I guess he didn't inform you of what he put into me, did he?"

"Kagome, stay back. You've already had fun today, but I haven't gotten anything."

"Have at it, Kagura," Kagome said, letting the Tetsusaiga lower slightly.

"Dance of Blades!"

The sickles launched at the incarnations and the woman moved, blocking them with her scythe.

She then vanished, and before Kagura could react, a scythe blade was coming for her throat. The Tetsusaiga suddenly appeared, holding up the scythe just before it hit her. Kagome pushed back, throwing the woman off her feet.

As soon as she landed, she spun and launched again. As Kagome moved to block, the incarnation vanished and suddenly, Kagura was in the air, a blade to her throat.

"Drop the sword, bitch, or I'll slice her throat."

"Dance of-"

Kagura's attack was cut off as the blade pressed to her throat, drawing a rivulet of blood.

"How about, if you let her go, I'll make your death quick?" Kagome asked, pointing the tip of her blade at the woman.

"I don't think that sounds very fun," the woman said, practically pouting. "I'm an Empath, so let's both stop playing around, shall we? We both know you aren't going to put her life at risk."

"Well, maybe I don't think you'll move faster than I will," Kagome said, looking for weaknesses.

She only found one, and it was the arm holding the scythe close to Kagura. If she moved fast enough, she could sever it at the elbow before the blade could be brought up, but that was seriously risky.

"I don't think so," the incarnation said, smirking.

The blade drew even closer to Kagura and more blood began to fall.

"My, my, my, you're so full of emotions! Confusion, anger, wariness, concern, fear, and loving worry all wrapped into a few seconds. I wonder what you'll feel if I spill even more blood?"

The incarnation began to pull the scythe, obviously prepared to decapitate this time.

"Stop!"

"That's what I thought," the incarnation said, sneering viciously. "Now drop that oversized hunk of scrap metal or I'll spill all of her pretty little blood all over these trees."

"Just kill her, Kagome," Kagura barked, her eyes glaring as close to the incarnation as possible.

Kagome began to move the Tetsusaiga, but hesitated. Several different scenarios played through her mind, and none of them had good outcomes. With a growl, she released the sword, letting it bury itself in the soft soil at her feet.

"Good little slut. Now you're going to fight my brother there, and you're not going to use anything but your bare hands. No power, no youki, no magick, _nothing_, got it? And if you decide to use some trick, then I'll have to cut her pretty little head off."

The snake reared back and suddenly, Kagome was dodging its massive jaws.

"So, what's the plan here?" Kagura asked, painfully aware of how close the blade and her artery were. With a heart, a wound like that wouldn't be a simple matter, and it wasn't guaranteed she'd even survive it.

"Oh, Kagura, I'm having a little fun. She can't do much with you as my prisoner."

"And why do you think that, bitch?" the witch bit out, her youki flaring with her anger.

"Oh, I was born for the purpose of taking you and her back. I can sense emotions, and that makes it very easy to manipulate an enemy. You, for example, are _filled _with hatred towards me, and concern for her safety. And you're angry that you can't do a _thing _about it," the incarnation sneered.

"All that information's good to you _how_? You can't use it to control me," Kagura said, looking for a vulnerability in the hold on her.

"Oh, so simple-minded. The anger isn't what I can use; it's the concern. Both of you are concerned for each other's safety, and I can use that to control you."

"You think so? After Naraku, you're an amateur in manipulation, bitch."

"Ah, so arrogant. But look at your girlfriend over there."

Kagura's eyes moved to Kagome, who was landing with a large chunk of her side missing.

"See? She's drained almost all of her energy. She's losing incredible amounts of blood. She's lucky to be standing. Yet, despite all of that, she's not using that sword and killing brother, because I have your life in my hands. Still think I'm an amateur?" the incarnation asked, a low growl resonating from her chest.

"I'm not a hostage," Kagura snarled, her body glowing with her youki.

Before the woman could react, Kagura brought her elbow back, with incredible speed and force, as well as a coating of youki. When it hit, she brought the other arm up, knocking the scythe away. She vanished in a flash, and the snake was knocked out of his path to Kagome by her fans.

"Kagome, are you okay?" Kagura asked, quickly coating the miko in youki to heal the more impressive wounds.

"Yeah, I'm fine…"

A massive gale filled the forest, and suddenly Kagome was holding her sword once more.

"Kagura, can you get me to Yukina when we're done?"

"What are you going to do, Kagome?" the witch asked, a sense of foreboding forming.

Without warning, Kagome brought her sword high above her head and then smashed it down.

"Wind Scar!"

Youki flared and a massive wave launched forward. With a scream of agony, the snake demon's youki vanished, the wave following suit a second later.

As soon as the wave was gone, so was the last of Kagome's strength, and she fell forward, digging the rusty de-transformed blade into the ground to keep her up.

"You bitch!"

Her head whipped up to find the woman, her body burnt in several places, and bruised from where Kagura had hit, but otherwise unscathed. She was stalking toward her, dark youki glowing around the scythe in her hands.

"That hurt, you whelp! Prepare to die!"

As the incarnation brought her weapon up, Kagome began to see her life flash before her eyes. Tears fell as memories well-buried from the time since she left the Sengoku Jidai surfaced.

"Dance of the Dragon."

The woman dove away as vortexes of youki launched at her, and Kagura caught Kagome just as she began to fall, no longer able to hold herself up.

"Hang on, Kagome."

An angry roar filled the air and Kagura swung the fan in her free hand, blocking the scythe with youki.

The woman swung her leg up, knocking Kagura back as she blocked for its target, Kagome.

"I'm going to kill her. Then, I'm going to beat you to within an inch of your life. Then, I'm going to take you to father so he can take control of you again!"

"Oh, what happened to manipulating? You seem unfocused now," Kagura said, sneering.

"I should've just cut your head off, you bitch," the incarnation snarled.

She swung her scythe again, aiming for Kagura's head. While she moved to avoid it, the weapon changed its course and started heading for the now-exposed Kagome. Instinctively, Kagura spun.

As the scythe blade entered her back, she grabbed the incarnation's throat and let her youki flare. There was a scream and suddenly, the incarnation's energy wasn't there anymore. As its owner vanished, the scythe broke apart and fell away from Kagura, leaving a painful hole.

She quickly stumbled to a tree and slid to the ground, Kagome in her arms.

"You okay?"

"Y… Yeah, just sleepy…"

Kagura's eyes widened at that, and she looked down at the miko, finally sensing how bad the energy deficiency really was. The blood coming from most of her body wasn't going to help, either.

"Hey, no sleeping, Kagome. Come on, you gotta' stay up for a little while," she said, gently shaking her, careful of opening any wounds she healed.

"Too tired," the miko groaned.

"Come on, you can't black out before me."

Kagome groaned, and her eyes widened slightly.

"You need to get healed…"

"It's fine," Kagura said, shrugging.

"No, it's not! You're bleeding because of me!"

Lucidity instantly filled the miko's eyes and she sat up, seeing Kagura's blood on the tree trunk.

"Shit. What happened!?"

"Don't worry about it. I just got careless with that stupid bitch with the scythe…"

"You took that hit so I wouldn't, didn't you?"

"Heh. Don't read too much into it, Kagome."

"It's hard not to. There was someone else I threw myself in front of, before, if you'll remember."

"I remember. I did some stupid things that day, too, if _you'll _remember."

"I never said it was a stupid mistake. If I hadn't done it, then I never would've had the courage to confess to him."

"I'll never understand what it was about him that you found attractive," Kagura sighed.

"This is a really weird conversation, isn't it?" Kagome suddenly asked, smirking. "But if you must know, traveling with him for five years brought a lot of good qualities to light…"

"I guess it would be hard for me to see them," Kagura said, shrugging. The movement caused her great pain, and she couldn't hide the wince.

"Okay, that's it," Kagome said, standing up. "Come on, we need to get you to Yukina."

Suddenly, Kagura laughed, making Kagome's eye twitch.

"What?"

"I'll be fine in a few minutes, as long as I don't go anywhere. You're the one that was just on the verge of death, Kagome."

"Good point."

"I can't believe it," Kagura sighed after a long moment of silence.

"What?"

"That somehow, we let those two ambush us. I can feel movement through air, we can both smell and hear everything in this forest, and they had Naraku's youki. How in the hell did we let them sneak up on us?"

"Well, that's not a mystery. We were distracted."

"How'd we get so distracted that we let those two sneak up on us? Healing you shouldn't have done that," Kagura sighed.

"Who knows? The important thing is that they're dead."

"They almost took us with them," Kagura growled.

"Sorry," Kagome exclaimed, her hands raised in placation. "And sorry about not listening to you about the town," she added, barely above a whisper.

"It's fine…"

"No, it isn't! This entire thing's my fault! I'm so sorry, Kagura!"

"Let it go," Kagura sighed.

"I can't! It's my fault that you're hurt! If I hadn't gone in there, pissed off and careless, I wouldn't have gotten hurt, and you wouldn't have been distracted enough for those two to sneak up on us. If I hadn't gotten hurt in the first place, even if they _did _manage to sneak up on us, both of us would've been able to shred them to pieces because I would still have enough power to have blown them away with one stroke of my sword! Goddamnit, it's my fault and I'm-"

Kagura's hand suddenly stopped Kagome's spirited tirade, and she watched with wide eyes as Kagura looked down at her.

"Kagome, I said to let it go. The bitch could practically read minds, so it would've probably ended the same way regardless of the factors leading to it. She was made to capture both of us, because that bastard somehow knows there's something between us. And it's pissing me off that I don't know _what _that something is, because I'm starting to act as protectively as that mutt. So just _be quiet _and don't exert any more energy while we wait for your friends to come heal us. Okay?"

Kagome nodded once and the hand over her mouth vanished.

"Just one thing, and then I'll be quiet. What's between us, if we weren't both girls, would be called love, I think, and it's seriously confusing to me, probably more than you."

Before Kagura could respond, rustling was heard and several shadows emerged from the edge of the forest.

A/N:

Well, there's chapter 10! I'm really sorry for how long it's been since I last updated, but here's hoping the chapter made up for it. Be sure to review!


	12. A Night of Peace

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, YuYu Hakusho (As much as I'd love to) or any of the anime/manga characters.

Warnings: Strong Language

A Night of Peace

As the figures emerged, both women rose, despite their injuries, their weapons in their hands.

"Easy there!" a voice said, surprised. Yusuke's face caught the moonlight and the women instantly relaxed, their burst of energy turning into a crash.

The sight of the two demonesses, covered in blood and wounds, was a shock to the group as a whole, but something else caught their attention.

Suddenly, the demons smelled the massive amounts of blood around them and Yukina was instantly at the girls' side.

"Jesus, what the hell happened here!?" Yusuke barked, holding his nose closed against the overwhelming scent of demon blood.

"We were… ambushed," Kagome panted as both hers and Kagura's body became enveloped in blue light. Slowly, the wounds covering their bodies receded into small pink lines, and both of them sagged against a tree in relief.

"You've both used a lot of energy," Yukina whispered, her eyes wide.

"We felt an explosion and came running," Kuwabara added, eyeing the demonesses.

"I actually made that good of an impact? I'm surprised I could even lift the Tetsusaiga at all…"

"Don't use energy while you're out of reserves again, okay?" Kagura asked, relaxing as Kagome's head gently fell on to her shoulder.

"Okay," she said breathily. "I'm tired…"

"We'll set up camp here, for the night," Yusuke said decisively. Kagome had enough time to nod and whisper a small "Thank you" with her exhaustion conveyed in her tone before she, along with her demoness pillow, blacked out…

Kagome's eyes slowly slid open to reveal darkness and trees surrounding them. Before she could even think to panic, her memories returned and she sighed. Something warm and soft was under her head, and she had absolutely no intention to leave the comfort. Closing her eyes again, she moved closer to the warmth.

A slight chuckle had her eyes wide open and she looked up to find Kagura staring down at her, amusement dancing in her eyes.

"Wha-?"

Kagura put her finger to her lips and gently slid Kagome's eyes closed again.

Kagome's face turned bright, tomato-red when she realized that the warm, soft pillow under her head was Kagura's lap. At least she understood why she was amused, with how she'd practically buried her face into the warmth. That thought made the shade of red even worse, and she groaned.

"How long have I been out?"

"About three hours," Kagura whispered as Kagome sat up.

"Oh good, you're awake," a voice nearby said, surprising the miko.

She looked up into the tree she and Kagura were leaning against to find Hiei sitting on a thick limb, his blade held by his lap. The pose reminded Kagome viciously of Inuyasha doing the same, and her eyes burned with the sudden need to shed tears.

"So, we found a lead," Yusuke said, suddenly making her aware of the others nearby.

"Really?"

"Yeah. Two snake demons said that there was a rumor about some psycho demon that smelled like a human about thirty miles south."

"However, the survivors of the village are looking for you, so it would be unwise to go anywhere until daylight," Hiei said, his eyes scanning the surrounding darkness.

"So we're here for the night?"

"Yes. As long as we're in the forest, there's a very high chance we'll know if an ambush is coming."

"Don't be so sure," Kagome said, stretching. "Then again, you've got some psychic powers, so maybe you'll do better than we did."

"That brings up a good point," Kurama said, appearing at the base of a tree next to Botan, who was looking around with fear.

"What?"

"What _did _happen before we arrived?"

"Two of Naraku's new puppets showed up and kicked the shit out of us," Kagura sighed, bitterness filling her voice.

"Seriously? How'd that happen? Were they some kind of psychics?"

"The bitch with the scythe was, but it didn't help her get past our defenses. We were just too damn distracted."

"What distracted you?"

"It's not important, right now," Kagome said, sensing Kagura's building anger. "Maybe all of the blood on me messed up our senses."

"Yeah, right. It was these damn emotions! She snuck up on us because of them distracting me."

"Regardless, it's quite impressive that you managed to kill them with Kagome's pre-existing wounds," Kurama said before standing up. "I believe I will go do some reconnaissance deeper in the woods."

"I'll go survey the sky," Botan said before her oar appeared.

"I'm not going to watch you, so don't get yourself killed," Hiei said dismissively.

With a pout, the reaper lifted off the ground and Kurama vanished into the woods.

"Does anyone else have a bad feeling about being here?" Kuwabara asked, looking around warily.

"It's just you, oaf," Hiei sighed.

Kagome's hand found the Tetsusaiga and tightly wrapped around the sheath.

"Perhaps the human's paranoid," Kagura said, smirking.

"I don't sense anything," Yusuke said, glaring at Kuwabara. "How about you, Kagome?"

"I sense _something_, but I don't think it's anything more than some animals… Are there even animals in the Makai?"

"Low-level animal youkai wander the forests. They're usually too stupid or weak to be more than an annoyance. I'm sure the fox will weed out anything annoying. Not that they'd get past me, anyway."

"I need to go kill something," Kagura growled, standing and quickly disappearing into the woods.

"Will she be alright?" Kuwabara asked, sensing the rage coming from the witch in waves.

"Her wounds are healed, but she's as lacking in youki at the moment as Kagome," Hiei said, staring at her. "Perhaps she should be brought back, but she moves quickly, even without using her wind magick."

Kagome was instantly up, sword in hand.

"Be right back."

And then, she too was gone.

"Anyone else feel like that was planned?" Yusuke asked, having noticed the eagerness with which they'd vanished.

"It was not planned, just convenient, detective."

"You read their minds?"

"No. I can't read either of them, for some insufferable reason… It's merely a hunch. Or did you not notice their strange closeness?"

Yusuke simply glared at the trees, feeling like he'd be gone too, if he had Keiko there…

"So, think this is far enough?"

The reaper dropped from her low hover, looking around them.

"Probably, but is there such a thing as 'far enough' with Hiei?"

"He's uninterested in what we do," Kurama said, shrugging.

Sweeping one more wary glance around them, a small, secretive smile formed on her lips. She stepped closer to the kitsune, closer than she would ever dare when others were able to see.

"I'm worried," she sighed as her head came to rest on his chest.

"Anything in particular that's worrying you?"

"This whole thing! King Enma wants to kill Kagome to break a jewel that he thinks she'll give to a demon when she's been turned into a demon protecting the damned thing! And whoever this Naraku demon is, he's obviously a devious puppet master, or he'd be dead by now."

"I believe that the same could be said about me, if you'll remember," the avatar said, smirking.

"But you were never evil, fox boy," Botan argued, glaring at the ground. "I'm worried that, if we meet up with this demon, something horrible is going to happen. Two of his incarnations did all of that damage to those two, and there's no doubting that they're powerful."

The redhead gently stroked her back, trying to be comforting.

"There is no doubt they are both incredibly strong, but they had quite a lot working against them."

"What?"

"Kagome was already wounded and her senses were not functioning properly because of the sensory overload caused by all of the youkai blood. Kagura was no doubt distracted by worry over Kagome, and she has not had a heart long enough to overcome emotions and fight properly. Most of the wounds either of those girls have received since the witch showed up were inflicted protecting one another. Naturally, if they were distracted and ambushed, it would not be too difficult to gain a large advantage."

"You talk about them like they're in love," Botan said, giggling.

"Indeed, it does come out that way, doesn't it? But thinking about it logically, it seems the most plausible explanation. They seem to have no problem putting themselves in harm's way to defend the other. Sound familiar?"

Botan's face became bright red and she shook her hair, trying to cover her blush before he saw. The chuckling rumble of his chest told her she wasn't quick enough.

"You're adorable when you're embarrassed," he whispered, making her face even brighter.

"Why does everything you say sound so condescending?" she pouted, but only half-heartedly.

"It comes from having a kitsune engulfed in his own ego, I'm afraid," Kurama said, shrugging. "But he's asleep right now, and I believe we have at least an hour before Hiei becomes interested in our activities."

The implications of what he said weren't missed, and the reaper's face became impossibly red.

"So, is that why you got me all alone out here in the Makai with you? Planning to take advantage of me?"

"Me? Never," Kurama said with feigned shock.

Her lips turned up and she couldn't help the giggles that came.

"You're bad," she said, laughing.

"Not yet," he practically purred, his arms tightening around her somewhat.

"I wouldn't really mind, but I think I'm too worried right now," she sighed.

"Well, being a comforting person isn't exactly my forte, but I'll give it a shot," he said, lifting her and gently sitting down with her in his lap.

"We'll all make it through this. It's not the first time Enma's gotten too focused, but it will pass, and we'll all be fine."

"How can you be so sure? The last time King Enma was this focused, Yusuke was almost killed."

"And yet here we are," he said, pulling her to his chest. "If it will make you feel better, I'll take you somewhere after we return."

"Where?"

"I don't know. Somewhere you can relax for a while. And somewhere private, so I can make our bond official."

At that, her eyes widened.

"Already? It's only been a year since you saved me. Are you sure you want to go through with it?"

"I'm tired of hiding, and Hiei's interest in my disappearances has been steadily growing for a few months now. It will come out, one way or another, and I'd prefer it to be under my terms."

Botan simply let out a high, girlish squeal and wrapped her arms around the avatar…

**Kagome POV**

I quickly ran through the woods, following Kagura's scent. In less than two minutes, I caught up with her and immediately hid myself.

"Goddamnit!"

She swung her fist into a tree next to her and it practically exploded from the impact. Blood rolled from her hand, but she didn't seem to notice.

"Naraku, if you're listening, I want you to know that I'll make your death slow and excruciating," she said, glaring at where the tree had been. "These damn emotions are a curse, and I hate you more than ever for making me so weak before you failed at killing me. But know that, just because you didn't pull off killing me, it doesn't mean I'll make the same mistake."

And then, she swung her fan and a massive vortex of wind filled the clearing around her. Blood filled the air and I watched as several dozen Saimyousho fell in pieces to the ground. She then spun around, and her eyes locked instantly on me.

"Go back to camp, Kagome."

I straightened and met her glare.

"You're pissed, I get it," I said, walking up to her. "And I really don't want to sound like a bitch when I say this. I really don't… but suck it up, Kagura. Having emotions is what makes you mortal. Yeah, they suck at times. A lot. But if you learn to use them, they are a seriously powerful weapon. Inuyasha used his emotions and human side, and it's because of them that he could kill the demons that he did."

"That's fine for the hanyo, but I've never been so weak as to let two half-wit puppets sneak up on me. This damn heart! The only good thing about having it is that I'm not in that bastard's control anymore."

"You really hate it that much?" I asked, sensing something strange in her words.

"Yes. If I could, I would destroy the damn thing and be done with these emotions. They've been a pain in the ass since I started having them, and now it's gotten to the point where I'm too confused to be effective in a fight with lowly demons like those scum."

"Naraku's the main problem right now. Having emotions will be an asset, if you learn to control them."

"Please! You're face was like an open book back then."

"Yeah. That was before I got held in a cage for a week without knowing whether my children were safe or not. And if I hadn't learned to control my anger, I'd be dead by now in that castle. You think I don't understand? Emotions caused me a lot of pain when everyone died, and Naraku was using them as an advantage while holding me. So I learned to control them, and I managed to get away because I didn't lose control and let my power go."

I hadn't meant to say that much, but it just kind of poured out when I opened the dam on my pent-up emotions. And, unfortunately, it seemed to make her more angry.

"Oh, boo-ho," she growled. "I've been around for several hundred years more than you. I've seen lots of shit that's making it hard not to kill myself now! The things I've experienced here were fine when I didn't feel anything, but now I want to just die and make myself not relive any of it anymore. And now, this 'love' is making me careless and distracted. I can't afford to be like this when I kill Naraku, or I'll be the one killed!"

I met her glare evenly and took another step toward her.

"Kagura, you're not the only one that wants him dead. It's obvious that neither of us are too thrilled about things, but I'll be damned if I don't have a hand in ending his life. It's the jewel's fault he's as strong as he is now, and as the jewel's protector, it's my responsibility to fix things. And, regardless of how it happened, I'm starting to feel love again. And this time, I won't let anyone die because of it."

"Thanks for the concern, but I can handle myself," she growled, her youki starting to engulf us.

I stepped closer, putting me right in her face.

"He turned me into a fucking demon by making me _eat _the youki-filled remains of demon corpses! I don't give a fuck what you think Kagura. I'm going to have a hand in his death, with or without anyone's help. You were born a demon, but me? I had to choke down the bloody heads of a big snake demon and a raven! So don't act like you're so goddamn high and mighty about suffering," I growled.

Evidently, I'd made a surprising point, because the youki around us died down and her eyes widened. We glared at each other for a short eternity, neither of us even moving enough to breathe. And then, much to my surprise, something pushed me from behind and I fell forward, taking her with me to the ground. When I opened my eyes, I realized with a shock that our lips were locked and she had her arms around me.

Emotions engulfed me, bringing tears to my eyes at the sheer force of them. She stared into my eyes and suddenly, she released her hold on me. And then, even more surprising, I didn't take the opportunity to move away.

Eventually, we both just fell asleep, and when I woke up, I felt the others coming toward us, and I realized I'd fallen asleep with Kagura's arms around me. As quickly and gently as I could, I shook her awake and we both jumped up, moving toward out team. It felt like something big was about to happen, and we were going to be hunting for Naraku with a new lead now…

A/N:

Okay, there's chapter 11! Really sorry about how long it's been, but this is my first romance scene I've written at all, and it took me a while to get it close to what I was thinking. Well, next chapter's got violence in it, so expect it out much sooner.

Til' next time, see ya!


	13. Living Hell

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, YuYu Hakusho (As much as I'd love to) or any of the anime/manga characters.

Warnings: Violence, Strong Language

Living Hell

The group broke into the clearing to find the demonesses moving toward them. None of them failed to notice that they smelled like each other, or that their clothes were disheveled.

"Interesting night?" Yusuke asked, smirking as lecherously as Miroku used to. The thought brought a pang of pain to her, almost bringing tears from her, but she kept it in check, deciding to go for annoyed indignation.

"Don't be such a lech, you perv," she growled.

His eyes widened while everyone else, even Hiei, barely stifled the laughs that came from the expression on his face.

"Well then, shall we go hunt down this lead?" Kurama asked, the first to recover.

"Yeah," Kagome said, making a 'lead-the-way' motion with her hands.

The group quickly took off, the girls flying quickly behind the others, just out of demonic earshot.

"So, regardless of Yusuke's perverted ideas, I _am _curious why you tell smell like… well… each other," Botan said, flying next to Kagura's feather.

Both girls brushed brilliantly, and Botan gasped.

"You mean he was _right_?"

The demonesses looked at each other and determinedly decided to not answer the question. After a few moments of silence, Botan got even closer, leaning as though to whisper conspiratorially.

"Come on, you can tell me," she said, smiling cattily.

"Well, first of all, Yusuke told me about how you blew his secret to Keiko and Kuwabara's sister in the Dark Tournament, so no, we couldn't," Kagome said, smirking when Botan looked away innocently.

"Me? I would _never _do such a thing!"

Her look of innocence was destroyed by the smirk that unwillingly broke onto her face, and Kagome smiled.

"They forced me to!" she whined.

"Knowing Keiko, I've got no doubts about that," Kagome said, shrugging. "Doesn't change the fact that you told her, does it?"

Botan pouted, and both the demonesses laughed.

"Oh come _on_! You can tell me! What happened? She left looking all frustrated and now you two are practically glowing!"

"We came to certain understandings," Kagura said, staring straight ahead and speaking in a completely, irritatingly neutral tone that left Botan glaring.

"Sorry, Botan, but it'll be hard to get anything out of us," Kagome said, gently patting the reaper's lowered head.

With a pout, Botan left them, flying next to the others.

"Why is she so much fun to upset?" Kagura asked, staring down at the reaper.

"Just another emotion," Kagome said, shrugging. "But she was right about one thing. You're definitely in a better mood now."

"I can't explain it," Kagura said, staring at the sky. "I know enough about humans to name what I'm feeling, but it's strange. I feel both embarrassment and what I can only assume is… happiness… when I think about before I fell asleep…"

"I feel the same way," Kagome said, smiling, though her face was still bright red.

After a few more minutes of silence, Kagome began to feel a very malignant youki several miles ahead.

"Looks like the tip was good," Kagura said, glaring ahead.

"Yeah, I guess so… Hey Kagura?"

"Yeah?" she asked, looking over her shoulder.

"Given the last few fights we've been in together, I think we should come up with an actual strategy so we don't kill ourselves."

"Yeah, good point," Kagura said, glaring at the direction of the energy.

"I can't smell anything from here…"

"Alright, I was thinking of something… We've got basically the same powers, and as long as I don't use Tetsusaiga or my miko qi, the rest of you are the heavy hitters, unless I can get in a claw or two with poison. So, I was thinking I'd scout ahead and distract it and the rest of you flank."

"Sounds like an impressive strategy," Kurama said, surprising her into jumping.

With a start, she suddenly realized Kagura had descended to the group's earshot.

They all looked at Kagome and, with a nod, she launched into the approaching tree line. They all watched in awe as she suddenly sprouted long, amazingly muscular midnight-black wings from the center of her spine. And then, she was gone, her presence completely shrouded in a flurry of dark black feathers.

Kagome slowed her missile-like speed, turning her wings to stop herself as a small town came into view, black smoke rising into the sky. Silently, she dropped to the ground and crept forward from the cover of the trees, using her snake-gained hunting skills to get closer with an almost invisible feeling.

"I can sense you," a voice sneered.

Immediately, she dropped her stealth in surprise.

"Well, that's surprising. I thought I'd killed you," she said, glaring at the looming form of a woman that appeared from the smoke-choked flames around them.

Suddenly, a stream of green liquid shot at her and Kagome rolled, barely avoiding the liquid, which melted right through the building that had been next to her in a smoking heap.

"I thought you fools might flock to me if you caught rumors. Glad I was right!"

Kagome drew the Tetsusaiga, pointing at Kagehime's chest.

"I've got my sword this time. I'll _kill you_ this time," she said, youki building up.

"You think so?"

Without warning, she launched, her claws glowing dark green. Because of her speed, Kagome was incapable of doing anything more than blocking with her massive blade, which put her at a disadvantage when she suddenly changed directions and swung her other fist at the side of her head.

Pain exploded in a torrent through her body as Kagome was knocked several dozen feet into the air. As she began to fall, Kagehime drew a katana from thin air, swinging the unsheathed blade at Kagome's throat.

A massive burst of air suddenly formed under the demoness, and she used it to flip onto her feet next to Kagehime. Before she could react, Kagome swung her blade in one quick, nearly invisible, whipping motion. She avoided the blow, but her left arm now had a large, crescent-moon-like gash.

As soon as she gained her footing again, Kagome snarled and the humor left Kagehime's face when the Tetsusaiga pulsed and began glowing with youki.

"Wind Scar!"

Kagome brought her blade down and the massive attack sped toward a shocked Kagehime. But when the attack should have reached her, it arched upward and rounded, and vanished into the sky. A shimmering bubble of purple energy became apparent, and Kagehime smiled mischievously.

"Now, now, Kagome, father wouldn't make such a stupid mistake. You already hit me with energy once, remember?"

"So, he gave you some new powers. So what?" Kagome snarled. "I can still kill you."

"Oh?"

Kagehime smirked as youki began building up again. It lessened only slightly when the blade turned the color of blood, but she didn't seem worried at all. And then, a massive group of powers appeared and she suddenly faced all the others, a pissed-looking Kagura drawing her fans.

"How the hell did I _not _guess it'd be you?" she growled.

Kagehime began to answer when suddenly, her barrier was bombarded with power. Massive scythes of youki slashed at all sides of her, and the Wind Scar was released onto the cracks the youki had caused. She watched in shock as her barrier first became visibly cracked in its entirety, and then it exploded with the sound of a gunshot.

"Oh, now that's no fun," she said, pouting. "I believe I'll be on my way."

Kagehime began to glow, and Kagome snarled. She and Kagura exchanged a meaningful look and nodded at the same time. And then, Kagome moved into action, bringing her sword down once more.

"Wind Scar!"

As the attack was unleashed, a massive wave of wind hit it and suddenly, the Wind Scar was a massive, swirling vortex trapping Kagehime low to the ground lest she be killed.

"What!?" she screamed as the youki pushed her down even more, pinning her to the ground.

"Is she the one that was at Genkai's?" Yusuke asked as they surrounded the demoness, who was struggling against the agonizing hold on her.

"Yeah. Kagura, would you like the honors, or should I?" Kagome asked as she lifted the Tetsusaiga once more.

Kurama's eyes widened along with everyone else's, except Kagura.

"You aren't going to ask where to find Naraku?"

"Of course not," Kagura huffed. "It'd be a waste of time and the little energy we've recovered. I'm the only incarnation that's ever truly betrayed the bastard, and I'll tell you from experience that torture doesn't work. You take it, Kagome. She damaged you more than me."

Kagome began to bring her blade down when suddenly, everything stopped. The blade froze an inch from Kagehime's skull, and the swirling Wind Scar vanished. It was obvious by the look on Kagome's face that she wasn't hesitating, and red energy was leaking from Kagehime's head.

Slowly, she rose up, getting into a crouch. Everyone but Kagome gasped when they saw the Jagan wide open in Kagehime's forehead, glowing a chilling, bloody red. And it was focused on Kagome as she rose to her feet.

"You've pissed me off," she growled, stalking toward the frozen demoness.

The others tried to move, but only Hiei was able, and he suddenly disappeared. Kagehime's blade came up just as Hiei's would have decapitated her, and she smirked.

"Oh, so you're the hybrid… Naraku told me I might have trouble affecting you."

Kagehime closed her normal eyes and the power coming from her Jagan tripled. Hiei was thrown backward, his arm smoking from blocking her attack as he landed.

And then, a devilish Cheshire smile formed on her lips, and the Jagan pulsed.

"I think I'll send something to kill you all later… Well, I'm off. Pleasant dreams."

The Jagan flashed with youki, and the entire area became bathed in a red light. Hiei watched in shock as everyone suddenly fell unconscious before he was overcome with a dizzying fatigue. The last thing he saw was Kagehime disappear…

Kagome groaned, her head pounding. She moved to rub her throbbing skull only to find that her arms were spread away from her, chained to a stone wall behind her. And, seeing as she had no clothes on, she was _freezing_.

A muffled yelp brought her eyes forward, and suddenly, the darkness surrounding her was gone. In its place was a similarly bound Kagura, her mouth sealed with what appeared to be webbing. Red cuts showed all over her ivory skin, and standing to her side, holding a long, jagged, rusty knife was Naraku.

"Oh good, you're awake," he said, smiling cruelly.

She tried to talk, but it was effectively muffled by something in her mouth. She let out a snarl behind her gag, her eyes bleeding crimson.

Suddenly, something hard hit her, and she became acutely aware of a great pain covering her entire body. Looking down, she found cuts exactly like Kagura's marring her own body.

Turning her head, she found another Naraku standing next to her, and both women cried out in outrage as the two took another cut.

"Ah, isn't this nice? Kagehime requested I give you two my special treatment, since you've become so… _close_."

Suddenly, the image of the two kissing formed, and the demonesses' eyes widened.

"So precious. The human heart's such a weak thing. Look at you two now. Kagura, once a great assassin, is now useless against even such a weak opponent as a _snake demon_! And you, Kagome, are too much!" he yelled, evil laughs echoing in the darkness surrounding them. "The first thing you do when Inuyasha isn't around to save you is latch onto the strongest person nearby! I had been under the impression you'd been in love, but perhaps it really _was _just a hanyo guarding you out of pity and loathing."

She glared at both Naraku's, wishing she could reach out and claw his face off.

"Ah, now don't be like that, Kagome. I let you escape once, it won't happen again," he said, smirking.

Suddenly, a cold, slimy hand pressed into her stomach and bile rose as it slid upward, cupping her breast. She squealed when the hand grabbed onto her nipple and pulled, nails cutting into her skin. From across the room, an outraged growl came, and the hand vanished, laughs echoing once more.

"Ah, Kagura, you've grown so attached. I've already failed to end your miserable existence once. Perhaps killing Sesshomaru wasn't enough to break you. Perhaps I should give it another try?"

Her eyes widened as both Naraku walked over to Kagome and brought up their knives, the edges digging into her shoulders. Despite the effective gag shoved between her teeth, Kagome screamed as the blades came out on the other side of her body, her shoulders effectively shredded. Weak sobs escaped her despite her control as the Naraku's pulled the blades slowly, inch by agonizing inch, out of her.

When the knives were completely out, Kagome dropped as close to the ground as the chains allowed, her arms made completely useless as she sobbed on the cold floor…

"Hiei?" Yukina asked, seeing him sitting above her on a tree.

"Hn?"

"Where are we? Were we not in Makai seconds ago?"

"You should get your head checked," he sneered.

"What?" she asked, surprised by the sudden chilliness in his voice as he landed before her.

"We haven't been in the Makai in a long time, Yukina," he said, putting his hand to her forehead. "Are you feeling unwell?"

The chill in his voice was gone, making Yukina wonder if she'd been hearing things.

"No, I'm fine. I think," she said, frowning. "Are you sure?"

"A dream, perhaps? You were sleeping for quite some time," he said, looking at her with concern.

"Maybe," she said, putting her own hand to her forehead. "I think I should head back to Lady Genkai's, perhaps I am in need of some rest," she said, standing up.

Hiei's face suddenly contorted, as if he'd scented something fowl, but nothing came to Yukina's senses.

"Something wrong?"

"Hn… Yukina, have you ever wondered why I've never told you of our relation, despite you obviously knowing?"

Yukina's eyes widened at that.

"I don't understand…"

"You wouldn't," he sneered. "Would you like to know the reason why I didn't tell you, despite how much you obviously wanted to find your long-lost sibling?"

"Yes, very much so," she said, growing excited.

"It is because you are weak."

Her heart skipped a beat as she stared at him, thinking that she had perhaps misheard.

"What?"

"You are a pathetic excuse for a youkai. Neither a koorime that can heal well, nor a human who would have an excuse for your weakness. You are a bothersome creature, and I never told you of our relation because I do not wish to have a bond with such a loathsome _thing_."

Tears fell from Yukina's eyes, dozens of pearls forming on the forest floor.

"Why are you saying these horrible things?" she sobbed.

"Why? Because I grow tired of playing these irritating games with you. I intend to kill you."

At that, she backpedaled, barely avoiding the swing of her brother's sword…

Kurama awoke feeling as though he'd been hit by a truck. The sound of screaming brought him to awareness quickly, and he stared in horror at the scene before him.

They were in a large clearing in a very dense, very dark forest. The sky was that of the Ningenkai, and Kurama wondered in the back of his mind how they'd gotten there. The bigger part of him was infuriated by what he saw on the tree before him, however.

Botan was chained to the tree, her limbs rendered useless to protect her as several large, lower-class demons ravaged her.

"Botan!"

Her eyes focused on him, tears falling.

"Save me," she whimpered as the demon inside her suddenly shuddered and she was filled with its seed.

The demon moved and another began to take its place inside the grim reaper, and Kurama rose quickly.

"Rose Whip!"

He swung his hand outward, but nothing came to him. To his horror, he felt no power coming into the rose in his hand, and worse, his yell had drawn the attention of the dozen or so demons around them.

They all turned toward him and he searched for his youki. When he found nothing, he became too distracted to dodge the slow-moving oni's punch. It smashed his face and he was flung into a tree, his suddenly human-frail body cracked and broke in several places, and he fell to the earthen floor bonelessly.

The oni laughed, moving to kick him. Several ribs gave way when he was thrown into the air like a soccer ball and hurdled into the tree, just below Botan.

He looked up, staring helplessly at her as she was ravaged by the beast inside her, her body covered in large cuts and demonic seed. The sight enraged him, but he could do nothing, his somehow human body nearly destroyed from just _two _hits, which infuriated him further.

He watched the oni approach, and desperately tried to call upon Youko…

"Get up, fool."

Kuwabara's eyes shot open and he found the elder Toguro standing before him. He was on a hard steel floor, and he quickly shot up.

His eyes widened when he took in his surroundings, the destroyed stage of the Dark Tournament.

"Wow. What the heck happened? I coulda sworn we were just in the Makai," he said, scratching his head.

Suddenly, a sharp pain brought his attention to Toguro, and his eyes widened in horror as his younger brother joined him.

"What the heck's going on here? You two are dead!"

Frowning in concentration, Kurama stared at them as they approached, and suddenly, a huge grin broke out.

"Oh, I get it! That psychic lady musta' knocked me out, and this is all a really bad dream! Hehe, well, guess it's time to wake up," he said, pinching himself.

Suddenly, his abdomen was pierced by the Toguro's extending fingers, and he fell to his knees.

"Did you hear that brother? He thinks we're a dream. Yes, we're a dream of sort. We're your worst nightmares come to life! Prepare to die, you oaf!" he yelled before his fingers all moved to stab Kuwabara in various places…

"I don't know how the heck you're all back from the dead, but I sure as hell ain't complainin!" Yusuke shouted, smirking.

Before him, all his enemies stood, looking ready to kill him. Rando stood with his finger poised to launch his spirit gun. Suzuka stood, his six clones building electricity in the air. The younger Toguro stood tall, his body a mass of green muscle. And, worst of all, there stood Sensui, his Reiko Resshuu Shien Dan attack charging at his feet.

"I believe it is time for you to disappear, detective," Rando sneered, the power in his hand overwhelming.

"Yeah? You want to see whose spirit gun's stronger?" he challenged, bringing his own finger up.

Rando yelled and released his attack at the same time Yusuke did. Yusuke's went straight through the demon's, and Rando died screaming in agony. As the dust cleared, Suzuka charged.

"Prism Storm of Torment!" the seven echoed together.

When the attack hit Yusuke, he smirked.

"Doesn't work any more. Man, were you guys always this weak?"

"What!?"

Dropping into a crouch, Yusuke smirked, drawing his hand back.

"Shotgun!"

The blasts smashed the Saint Beast and he too once again joined the world of the dead.

"How about you, Toguro?"

"I'm not foolish enough to think you haven't improved since the last time we met, detective," he said, smirking.

"Reiko Resshuu Shien Dan!" Sensui yelled.

Yusuke rolled for cover before the massive attack hit, and when he came up from the attack, he pointed.

"Spirit Gun!"

Instead of moving, Sensui smirked.

"You jumped the gun, detective."

Yusuke's eyes widened in terror as he reached behind him and suddenly in his attack's path was Keiko, her eyes wide with fear.

"What!?"

"Say goodbye to the wife, detective," Sensui sneered.

Yusuke swung his arm at an arc and released another attack.

"Spirit Gun!"

The second attack barreled into the side of the first, but it was too late. Just as the attacks began to veer, Sensui threw Keiko, right into the energy. She let out a scream of agony so horrible that Yusuke knew it was too late. He watched as his fiancé fell to the ground, her body twitching and smoke rising from her.

"Oh, too bad. That's what you get for getting overzealous," Sensui said, smirking.

"You… I'll kill you!"

Before Sensui could move, Yusuke disappeared, and suddenly, his hand was around his throat.

"_Spirit Wave_!"

Sensui's eyes bulged as his life disappeared, and an enraged Yusuke turned to Toguro. Powered by his fury and Sensui's energy, he didn't even put effort into smashing his head, his hand going through his forehead.

As Toguro fell, Yusuke stumbled toward his fiancé, his energy spent…

Hiei stared blankly as his sister was run through with a sword. His sword. She stared in horror up at him, and he sneered.

"What does she take me for? I will not be fooled by such simple tricks."

His Jagan flared and suddenly, the icy tundra around him disappeared, giving way to the forest. He looked around to find all the others on the ground, writhing in any combination of despair, fury, terror and pain.

"Fools," he sighed.

Seeing Yukina sobbing and begging for her life, he got to work, releasing her first…

"How does it feel, you bitches? To see the only people close that you have left being cut apart before your eyes?"

The demonesses looked in each other's eyes, both of them shaking from pain and crying despite themselves at the other's pain.

"Ah, there it is! That beautiful look of despair! I love it so much," Naraku sneered, twisting Kagome's nipple until she cried out.

Through her overbearing pain came a singular moment of clarity, and Kagome suddenly calmed. Naraku's eyes widened when she stood up, her wounds vanishing, along with the bindings holding her to the wall, as well as Kagura's injuries.

"What!?"

Kagome removed her gag, and blasted one of the Naraku's to ash as she moved to Kagura.

"I just realized something. The Makai seems to have the same time as the Ningenkai, and we were knocked out around midday. So there's no way that we'd be away from where we were with the sun still in the same exact spot, unless you've mastered teleportation. Kagehime's psychic and has a Jagan eye. We're not really here, this is an illusion."

"Perhaps my knives have given you brain damage, Kagome," Naraku sneered.

"One way to find out."

She put her hand out and suddenly, a swirling nebula of mist appeared around her hand. And then, she was holding the Tetsusaiga, and smirking.

"Wind Scar!"

The blade came down and Naraku was torn to pieces by it. Suddenly, the dank castle around them vanished, and Kagura and Kagome rose from the forest floor, taking in their surroundings.

Hiei was moving around the clearing, his Jagan flashing as he moved from Yukina to a furiously screaming Yusuke.

"Well, I must say I'm impressed. You got out by yourselves," he said, smirking.

"Yeah, well, I'm not stupid," she said, shrugging.

"Hn."

Hiei got back to work as the demonesses took a place against a tree, not caring if Hiei saw them as they took much needed comfort in each other's arms…

Kurama winced as the oni lifted him, forcing his head up to watch the lizard demon sliding in and out of a sobbing Botan.

Fury welled in him, and he closed his eyes. Searching for his youki, he found nothing. Then he noticed his senses were off, as though Youko were too asleep to aid his senses. That thought brought his eyes wide open.

"_Youko?"_

There was silence and he smirked despite his pain and Botan's suffering.

"_Youko, wake up!"_

_Huh? What is it?_

"_I do believe you were put to sleep. Mind helping?"_

Immediately, he felt Youko's anger and youki once again flowed to him.

_I will kill that witch!_

"_Agreed," _Kurama said as the rose still gripped in his hand pulsed.

The oni was very surprised when the broken-appearing human suddenly flicked his wrist and his hand was no longer attached.

Kurama slashed the demon violating Botan apart viciously before he broke the chains. As Botan landed in his arms, he crushed the rose and let his youki free.

"Petals and Thorns!"

Suddenly, all demons present were sliced apart, slowly, Kurama and Youko both full of a burning rage. After minutes of the slow, meticulous cuts, the demons finally died, and the rose petals fell to the ground.

"Kurama," Botan sobbed, wrapping her arms around his neck and sobbing heavily into her shoulder.

"It's not real," Kurama whispered, running his hand through her hair.

Her eyes widened when suddenly, her wounds were gone and she was fully clothed, not a mark on her.

"What!?"

"That Kagehime used the Jagan to put us in a living nightmare, I think. None of it was real," he soothed, stroking her back in slow, comforting motions as she continued to sob.

"It felt so real! And you… you were going to die!"

"Shh… we were never in any real danger. I'm not sure about the others, but I believe this was merely meant for long-lasting psychological torture, not actual death."

She sniffed, looking at him with big, puffy eyes.

"So it really wasn't real?"

"None of it," he confirmed. "Close your eyes now, love, and when they open again, you'll be awake."

She obediently slid her eyes closed and just before she opened them again, she felt the ghost of his lips on hers. And then, they opened, and she was startled to find herself back in the Makai, and Kurama was gently stroking her hair.

"There, see? I told you it was fake," he said, smiling softly when she pitched forward and wrapped herself around him.

"Good to see you up, fox," a voice said nearby.

Kurama couldn't help but smirk as Botan squeaked in surprise and jumped off of him, turning to face Hiei.

"Yes, quite. The others?"

"The witch and Kagome are comforting each other, and I broke the fool and Yukina out. I'm tempted to let the oaf stay in the cocoon for a while, though."

Kuwabara was squirming in the ground, expressing legitimate pain.

"Perhaps that would be unwise. We must be going if we're to behead that Kagehime witch."

"Taking the initiative, are we?" Hiei asked, eyebrow quirked.

Kurama looked at Botan, not failing to notice the small tremors in her body, and his expression hardened.

"I don't like having my mind played with."

"Hn."

The Jagan flashed and Kuwabara visibly relaxed. A few moments later, they all rose, looking around dazedly.

Yukina saw Hiei and backpedaled, her eyes wide in terror and her entire body pale.

Yusuke moved his hand up and discovered tears covering his face. Anger crossed his expression at the knowledge that whatever he'd seen had _definitely _not really happened. And that made it simultaneously better and worse. Better, because Keiko was safe, and not dead by his hands. Worse because he suddenly had a very bad urge to kill Kagehime, slowly, making sure to draw it out.

"What the hell happened?" Yusuke snarled.

Suddenly, Kagome rose up, and nobody present missed the raw hatred in her eyes.

"Everyone in tact?"

They all nodded, and Kagura pulled her feather out.

"Let's go," was all Kagome said before she vanished into the treetops, the Tetsusaiga drawn and a bloodthirsty expression on her face.

Kurama quickly explained that it was a Jagan-created illusion and that they should put no stock in whatever they saw. Suddenly, everyone present could share in Kagome's feeling, and they took off.

Even Kagura was surprised by the look in Kagome's eyes, her body smelling of what could only be called vengeance. She was hurt, she had seen her be hurt, and she was _pissed_…

A/N:

Well, here's the new chapter! Sorry that it's been so long, but I've been caught up in the novel I've been writing. Once I get an idea, I run with it until I hit a dead end, and while I'm thinking of how to continue, I finished this. I'll be on break for a while, so I can hopefully get the rest of this story out.

Hope you enjoyed. Be sure to review!


	14. Hunt

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, YuYu Hakusho (As much as I'd love to) or any of the anime/manga characters.

Warnings: Strong Language, Gore, and serious angst

Hunt

Kagome kicked off another tree, the wood snapping from the force. As she flew through the air, Kagura watched her closely, taking in the way her hand was gripping her sword's hilt so tight it was practically bleeding, and the smell of anger coming off of her. The next time she came up, Kagura pushed more air under herself, coming up next to her and moving so that the demoness landed on her feather.

Despite her anger, Kagome had enough restraint not to kick off of her friend's mode of transportation, and she fell to a crouch.

"Save your energy for tearing the bitch's throat out," Kagura said, her eyes locked forward.

"I'm starting to lose her smell. Snakes and birds aren't the best for following someone by scent, and she didn't stay long enough for me to catch a trace of her energy, so I've got nothing better to use," Kagome growled.

"It's not that you're losing her scent. The bastard probably found a way to hide it from us. Her barrier should've been strong enough to hold us off, but it barely held up at all. Of all the things Naraku is, he's not stupid. He should've at least been able to estimate what it would take."

Kagome's eyes widened, her grip slackening on the Tetsusaiga somewhat.

"It's a trap," she said, her eyes moving erratically around their group.

"Yeah, probably. It's what he's good at, after all," Kagura growled, glaring forward.

Kagome's eyes froze on a spot ahead, and her entire body tensed.

"Shit. Kagura, drop!"

"What?"

Kagome grabbed Kagura and dove for the ground before Kagura could take her next breath. Suddenly, her feather ignited with a dark, black fire, and dark power flowed through the air.

The others kept coming toward them, and Kagome jumped to her feet.

"Stop!"

They froze mid-step as Kagome slowly drew the Tetsusaiga.

"Why the hell are we stopped?" Yusuke growled.

"Whatever you do, _don't _put your foot down."

"Why?"

Kagome's eyes closed and she took a deep sniff of the air. An instant later, she was moving, the Tetsusaiga pulsing.

A high-pitched, girlish giggle filled the air and suddenly, there before them stood Kagehime.

"My, my, you have _very _good eyes, Kagome," she said, smiling evilly.

The others glared confusedly at her until she snapped her fingers. All around them, a dark, foul wind exploded and with it, a sort of illusion broke. All around their forms were glowing, dangerous-looking wire. They criss-crossed and jagged across the entire clearing, and one was at where each of their feet would have fallen.

Kagome swung her blade down and Kagehime smirked.

"Kazekiba," she said, punching upward.

Her grinder-like tornado of youki rushed upward, and Kagome was suddenly thrown several feet back before gracefully landing on her feet, inches from a rising Kagura.

"Kagura, watch where you move," Kagome said, her body taking on a more demonic appearance than previously seen. "There's wires all around us. Energy's flowing through them, and they connect to something very bad. Guessing by your feather, I'd say explosives. But I don't know where they are."

"How's that possible, if you can sense their energy?"

"There are so many that I can't tell where any individual ones are," Kagome said, preparing to charge once again.

Kagura rose to her feet, unable to hide the surprise on her face, even as she drew her fans in anger.

"My, Kagome, you're certainly focused when you're angry. Have a bad dream?"

"I hope you don't plan on leaving this clearing, _ever again_," Kagome growled, youki flowing upward from her body.

"Oh, I think I should be saying that," Kagehime said before snapping her fingers again.

All around the group, a massive army of demons suddenly appeared from the forest. Kagome's confusion turned to anger when a nearly invisible barrier popped, and all their scents and youki suddenly flooded her senses.

Instantly, the attack on Kagura and herself made sense, and a new anger bubbled up.

"So, that's how you did that."

"What _ever _could you mean, Kagome?" she asked, smirking as her Jagan slid open, the black pupil focusing on Kagome.

"Hey, what the hell should we do!?" Yusuke growled.

"Yes, this _is _a rather unfortunate situation we've found ourselves in," Kurama said, glaring at the line under his foot. "I can't smell them, and moving in a metaphorical minefield while in combat may prove dangerous."

"Hn, speak for yourself, fox," Hiei said, several feet away from the others with his sword in one hand and a massive ball of destroyed wire in the other.

"Uh, guys? I don't think I can stay like this much longer," Kuwabara said, sweat beading all over his forehead.

"Ideas, Kagura?" Kagome asked, her eyes not leaving Kagehime's.

"I'm not really a big thinker," the sorceress sighed, extending her fans.

"Better hurry, Kagome," Kagehime said, laughing. "I don't think your friends will do well against all of my fire-proof demons in their current condition."

"Damnit… Hiei!"

"What, onna?" he asked, grabbing another set of wire, which ignited and shriveled in his hand, which didn't have a mark on it.

"You're the fire demon. And I know you can see them all. Just… do something!"

"I don't enjoy being ordered around, onna," Hiei growled.

"Yeah, well, deal with it. I can't see them. It was lucky I could sense them in time at all."

"It's not my problem," he said, shrugging.

"Hiei, if I die, I swear I'm gonna' come back and kick your ass!" Yusuke yelled. "Screw it!"

He brought his foot down and Kagome's eyes widened as a massive wall of flames shot toward him from both sides. Unperturbed, he simply _punched _the fire. Kagome didn't understand why he wasn't getting burned until his hand glowed bright blue.

"Shotgun!"

The energy exploded outward and the fire died just in time for him to dive away from the other pyre.

Kurama glared at the wires, which completely surrounded his body from head to foot, only giving him a few inches of movement possible. Judging by Kuwabara's whimpering, he seemed to be in a similar situation.

The demons closed in from all sides, and Yusuke growled.

"Bring it on, ya bastards!" he yelled before taking on five massive oni by himself.

"Well, that one's too stupid to care about dying," Kagehime said, watching the detective get beat in four different places while he killed the other one.

Kagome moved with the instant that Kagehime's attention wasn't on her, but the Jagan widened and, just as the Tetsusaiga came at her throat, Kagehime disappeared.

Sudden pain shot up her spine and she fell forward, spinning to find Kagehime. Wind engulfed her arm and blood fell from her fingers as she sneered.

"Dance of Blades!"

Kagehime's mirth died as she swiped outward. Kagura's attack smashed into her own wall of wind, and they both died.

"Well now, why don't you be a good little subordinate and stay out of an actual fight!? Akumu no Kaze!"

The Jagan suddenly bled of its white, and a dark, coal-black sea took over, the pupil glowing bright red. Suddenly, a ball of dark energy formed in front of the eye and launched at Kagura, too fast for even her youkai senses to follow.

But, just before the energy hit, a wall of wind formed, holding it back. The wall slowly began to crack under the attack's power, but by the time it pushed through, Kagura was gone.

Kagome was at her side just as she hit a series of wires, blocking the flames.

"Kagura, go from behind. I'll distract her," Kagome whispered, so fast and quiet that Kagura would've thought she may have misheard had Kagome not suddenly broken off from her side and charged Kagehime.

The Tetsusaiga came down toward the incarnation's head before the Jagan again glowed.

"Again!"

The energy formed inches from Kagome's face, and she swung the Tetsusaiga downward, pushing herself out of its course. It blasted forward and the ground suddenly exploded.

All of the soil darkened and blackened, and a sense of evil came from all around the group.

Out of the corner of her eye, Kagome saw Yusuke and Hiei destroying demons left and right, showing no signs of injury or fatigue whatsoever. She also saw that there were even more of them coming, from all directions.

"Idiot," a low, evil whisper rasped, bringing her focus back.

She found herself suddenly surrounded by a wall of stark-black energy, and Kagehime smirked.

"Let's try this _one _more time! Prepare for eternal slumber, _Kagome_! Akumu no Kaze!"

The ball rushed forward, and Kagome found that she had nowhere to go. With no other option, she pulled youki into the Tetsusaiga, which darkened.

"Shit… Hope I can use this. Meidou Zangetsuha!"

She slashed downward, and a massive circle of darkness formed in front of her. It cut straight through Kagehime's attack, and the incarnation snarled as both vanished.

Youki began building up and suddenly, a wave of scythes blasted through the air. Kagehime simply smirked and began to block, when Kagome raised her hand.

"Spirit Gun!"

A blast of energy shot from her fingertip, and the incarnation was incapable of blocking both. But when she tried, she got hit with the full force of their combined power.

Her body was torn apart, all three of her eyes glaring death at Kagome.

Slowly, her body rebuilt itself in the air, but Kagome obviously wasn't in the mood to let that happen.

"Wind Scar!"

She brought her sword down and the massive cascade of youki blasted into Kagehime, who was slowly breaking down.

"You're not nearly as strong as you were when we were exhausted," she growled.

Kagura's lips pulled back in a feral sneer, her eyes watching Kagehime's own, wide in horror.

"Dance of the Dragon!"

The massive tornados tore through her flesh. Kagehime's screams filled the air and every attacking demon in the army suddenly stopped their charge, all eyes going to the dying demoness.

A barrier exploded outward, protecting her body as Kagehime slowly rebuilt herself, a dangerous glint in her eye.

The Tetsusaiga glowed red and Kagome charged, swinging at the barrier. But when it hit, the impact shot through Kagome's body and she was thrown backward.

"What the hell!?"

Kagehime's body finished its restoration, and she sneered.

"Time to feel what I just felt."

Kagehime snapped her fingers, and a slow, red pulsation of energy shot outward. It went through a tense Kagome, who blinked in confusion when all she felt was a slight pushing sensation.

As soon as it passed through Kagome, another came, and another, more waves building faster. And then, the waves began getting bigger, and wider. Suddenly, Kagome dropped to a crouch, her body glowing a bright scarlet.

Kagehime's lips pulled back in a feral sneer as Kagome's entire body began to glow brighter and brighter. And then, the waves crested and Kagome let out a bone-chilling scream.

Power flared up, becoming a wall to separate her from the running Kagura or any of her other allies. Slowly, her skin became dented and creased, and to Yusuke's horror, small, dilated eyes began to open along her body.

"Hiei-"

"The sword is still in the Reikai, I believe," the demon said, watching the phenomenon with the same shock as the others.

Kagome's screams built in pitch and, as if a sign had been given, the demons attacked the group with a renewed and considerably more aggressive vigor.

Kagura fought against the building pressure against her, moving toward Kagome. And, somehow, the sounds of Kagome's screams and demonic roars failed to drown out the sound of Kagehime's maniacal laughter.

Despite the obvious agony overcoming her entire body, Kagome rose to a stand, her body pulsing with immense power. Kagehime's laughter cut off as Kagome's entire body began to change.

Her skin began to turn green and the eyes all over her body began to widen. Instead of making her a mindless puppet, like when Hiei had originally pulled this feat, however, it only seemed to add to Kagome's anger.

Kagura watched as the miko drove the Tetsusaiga into the ground at her feet and released her hold. As soon as she was no longer in contact with the blade, the power in the air exploded and became something like nothing anyone present had ever experienced.

All around the miko-turned-demon, Kagehime's energy pulsed and swirled, mixing with her own. Black lightning discharged randomly around her body, and the demons once again halted their attack, affected by their master's shock.

Slowly, Kagome's talons elongated and her fangs lengthened, becoming sharper and more savage-looking. Two angular, tusk-like stripes formed on her cheek, ending with both points on either side of her jaws.

And then, her eyelids slid open, and two orbs the color of darkness and nightmares focused on Kagehime.

Kagehime's cage around Kagome suddenly vanished, along with the green tinge to her skin and the eyes all over her. Before the incarnation could react, Kagome moved, her speed so great even Hiei would lose by far in comparison.

Screams filled the air and Kagome reappeared where she'd stood seconds before. Blood was covering the entirety of both her arms, and bits of skin and armor-like shielding fell in globs from the tips of her talons.

Of the hundred demons that had been left and attacking Yusuke's group, ninety of them suddenly fell to the ground in bloody chunks and bits across the town. The others were bleeding massively and letting out agonized screams.

But all eyes were on Kagehime. Both her arms were completely destroyed, hanging in shredded bits all around her. The rest of her body was in much the same shape. But that wasn't what captured everyone's attention.

What was so fascinating was both the massive, gaping hole in her chest, exactly where a human's heart would be. And the other was that, all around that hole, steam and green liquid rose from the jagged edges.

Kagehime's eyes were almost comically wide, staring in horror at Kagome.

Slowly, the miko's hand moved to the hilt of her blade. The second that she made contact, power once again surged, and all of her demonic features vanished. The sight of the _human _Kagome covered in blood and body parts was far more disturbing than her demonic form had been.

The clearing was filled with a cold, dead silence save for Kagehime's gasping and panting and her minions' roars. The silence was broken almost violently by Kagome's intake of breath in preparation of her coming speech.

"This time," she said, raising the sword above her head slowly, "you won't be coming back."

Kagehime's horrified eyes tracked the Tetsusaiga's movement as she continued gasping for air that was helping her very little.

"What… What did… What did you do?" she panted, clutching at her chest.

"Naraku made me a snake. So I used it. Youkai poison's coursing through your veins faster and faster every second. Anything you heal will break down and be useless now. This is the end, you bitch. But, before I end this, tell me where that bastard is."

Despite herself, Kagehime laughed, though her eyes remained cold and hateful.

"You think I'll tell you just because I'm dying? Naraku can bring me back! I'm unafraid of dying! So do your worst, you useless heap of blood and air! You may have the blood of a demon in you now, but you're still a weak, pathetic human pining after those demons that protect you!"

Despite her anger, Kagome tilted her head, a predatory, amused smile creeping across her lips.

"Care to explain that?"

The others were stunned at this new, brutal trait to the miko who had, to this point, been tame, if angry and dangerous at times.

"First there was Inuyasha, that filthy half-breed that saved your stupid, worthless ass for a long time. Then there's Kouga, though you got an enjoyment out of toying with. Admirable, I admit, but it still goes to my point. And now, there's… _that_," she said, pointing at Kagura.

Her hand fell and she broke into a painful coughing fit, blood flowing freely from her wound with each rough jerk.

The group watched Kagome's expression intently. What they saw wasn't reassuring. Finally, though, she responded.

"Well, that was an entertaining thought. Too bad it was your last."

A strange, green cloud of energy engulfed Kagome's sword, and she brought it down.

"Wind Scar!"

As the youki surged forward, it trapped the poisonous mist with it. The second it hit Kagehime, a last scream was ripped from her, and then her body was completely and utterly dissolved. No trace was left of her, or what had been the town behind her.

The other demons turned to ash, and Kagome slowly slid her blade into its sheath, turning so nobody present could see her face.

The group stood motionless for what seemed like an eternity, everybody staring at Kagome. Finally, Kagura moved, walking to Kagome's front. When she stopped before her, she found Kagome's eyes red-rimmed and staring down at her hands, the pale skin stained black and red.

"Kagome?"

"I've never killed anything with my bare hands," she said, her voice barely above a hoarse whisper.

"What are you talking about?" Kagura asked, leaning close. "During the tr-"

"I didn't kill him with my bare hands," Kagome said in a strange, faraway tone. "I purified him with my power, Sango's sword, and Inuyasha's help. I've never killed. Only purified… There's so much blood, Kagura," she said, her tone becoming more focused as her eyes became startlingly clearer.

Tears began to fall as violent tremors began to take hold of her entire body.

"Is this what Inuyasha had to go through with those bandits?"

"It's okay, Kag-"

"Don't tell me it's okay," she bit out, her tone cold and detached. "I'm actually a demon… Whatever kind of human I was, I hated violence but just now, I… I just tore one hundred and one living creatures nearly apart with my bare hands, without any mercy whatsoever… Demon or not, they were still beings with feelings… Oh, god…"

Kagome's right hand twitched, and Kagura moved on instinct.

The others stared in shock as the wind sorceress's hand shot out, catching Kagome's wrist just before her suddenly viciously-sharp talons came into her throat.

"Don't," Kagura said, pulling Kagome's hand away from her throat.

"We should get moving," Hiei said, starting to walk past the women.

"The smell of blood will most likely draw a lot of attention," Kurama agreed, moving with a completely silent Botan being pulled along behind her.

Kuwabara and Yusuke both silently assented, ushering Yukina along with them behind their companions.

"We should-"

Kagome's hand shot up, cutting the witch off.

"Let's just… go…" she said, walking past Kagura.

The group walked all through what constituted the rest of the day in Makai, and finally came to rest in a small forest with, conspicuously, a large, clean flowing river.

Despite her irritation, Kagome got the hint and spent the next hour floating in the river, her body slowly losing its taint.

Several times during the thorough drenching, Kagome honestly turned over the idea of drowning herself, but they all ended with the rationalization that if she was going to die, it was going to when, and _only _when she'd finally ended Naraku's existence once and for all, using the Shikon to make sure he would _never _come back.

Finally, she decided that she could no longer smell the horrific stench of blood and tissue on her arms, and after one more thorough washing, she got out and went to sleep on the riverbank, knowing that nobody would want her around…

Kagome awoke to the sense of something watching her. As she came to full consciousness, she found herself staring up at Kagura, and a strange heat filled her.

"Ummm… Morning?" she said, still not sure if it was day or night.

"Not for a few more hours. I know, it's a strange sense of time after the Ningenkai…"

"Why are you here?" Kagome asked, starting to sit up.

She stopped when she saw the look of hurt that momentarily crossed Kagura's features, guilt hitting her harder than it normally would.

"Sorry. I'm surprised anyone would come near me…"

"Oh, please. Kagome, do you have any idea how many demons I've killed? Your feat last night wasn't even close… Though I have to say that I'm impressed. How'd you know how to kill that bitch?"

"Don't be impressed, Kagura. I killed them. And the only thing I will _ever _find it justifiable to kill is Naraku. Even if they were demons, they were still only minions that were following either orders or instinct. And either way, the one that leads all of it is Naraku… I transformed, Kagura. I became an actual demon…"

"Kagome, take it from me, the freak who's suffering from lots of new and painful emotions," Kagura sighed. "Anger is a good motivator. Self-loathing will only add to the anger. But don't take it out on yourself. Save it for the cause of it all. At least, that's what I'm going to do for that bastard. So don't let yourself get suicidal over killing a few mindless pawns and a bitch who tried to kill you on _several _occasions in the recent past…"

"When did you become the guru?" Kagome asked, eyebrows raised in surprise.

With a smirk, Kagura shrugged.

"Where are the others?" Kagome asked.

Before Kagura could answer, there was the distant sound of splashing water, and they both looked toward the noise to find Yukina and Botan toeing the water, obviously preparing to bathe.

"They went out to look for any leads," Kagura said as the two got up and prepared to join them.

Their appearance from the trees surprised the other two into falling right into the river with yelps.

"Oh, sorry!" Kagome said between laughs.

Botan came up, glaring at her.

"That was _not _nice," she said, pouting.

Yukina came up, completely dry and a small smirk on her face.

"It _was _kind of funny, Botan."

"Yukina!" Botan gasped.

"I take it neither of you are disgusted by me," Kagome said as her mirth finally died down.

"The others were getting a little too… enthused… about hunting, so we came back," Yukina said as she walked back to the bank.

"Did they find anything?" Kagura asked, joining Kagome and Botan in the water.

"Not while we were there," Botan said with a huff.

"Well, other than Hiei, I don't think that any of them could drag things out long enough to get anything useful," Kagome said, staring absentmindedly at her talons.

"Why only Hiei?" Botan asked, curiosity making her speak before she could stop herself.

Kagome noticed Yukina's intense stare as well, and sought reasoning behind her random statement.

"Well… Yusuke's too much of a nice guy to torture, and so's Kuwabara. Kurama might be able to do interrogations and handle demons, but I think he's got slightly more honor than Hiei's. Not that Hiei's dishonorable, I just think he sees a lot more gray areas in things like interrogation. He seems to have that strange kind of cold detachment that professionals have… Not that I'd really know, since he's barely spoken ten words to me since we met."

"Well, glad to know you think so highly of me," a deep voice said from above, making all four dive under the water in surprise.

Hiei landed on the riverbank, his entire manner showing that he had no problem showing up while four girls were bathing, and he didn't care about their state of undress.

"So, you're back," Kagome said, glaring heatedly at him.

"Indeed… We finally found a lead too scared to lie. So get dressed, onnas. We're going as soon as possible."

And with that, the apparition was gone, leaving four bright scarlet girls glaring at where he'd been…

Ten minutes later, and the girls were all dressed, and the team was moving out.

As they left the forest, they were all well aware of the fact that if this lead panned out, then they were heading toward what would be a decidedly drawn-out and painful battle…

A/N:

Akumu no Kaze- Wind of Nightmares

Sorry, all readers, for taking so long on this. With a combination of tests, writer's block, and vacation, it has been a long time since I truthfully even remembered about this story. But, I still remember where I was going with it, and I am fully intent on finishing it as I originally planned. So, I hope you enjoyed this, and will continue to enjoy this to the end! See you next time!


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